The James River Crossing earned ENR MidAtlantic’s 2026 Project of the Year by solving a difficult construction tradeoff: install a 5,700-foot section of 42-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) wastewater force main beneath an active shipping channel, while avoiding an additional marine work platform. The extended horizontal directional drilling (HDD) route reduced in-water work and reported project costs, but pushed the pipe pullback well beyond the length previously reported for pipe of this size and wall thickness.
What the James River Crossing does
The James River Crossing (JRX) is a subaqueous section of Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s wastewater transmission system in Newport News, Virginia. The wider system connects the Boat Harbor Pump Station to the Nansemond treatment facilities and the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT), the district’s water-replenishment program. The pipeline is designed to convey more than 45 million gallons of wastewater per day, according to the Design-Build Institute of America; that is reported capacity, not a measured daily flow. DBIA’s project award page describes the project’s capacity and purpose.
ENR named JRX its 2026 MidAtlantic Project of the Year and Best Project in the Water/Environment category. Brierley Associates also lists a 2025 No-Dig Show paper award from the North American Society for Trenchless Technology and a 2024 honorable mention from Trenchless Technology. ENR’s 2026 feature covers the project award; Brierley’s project page lists the additional recognition.
The delivery team included Garney as general contractor, Dewberry as lead designer, Brierley Associates for geotechnical and bore-path development, Huxted Trenchless for HDD work, and Seaward Marine for marine support. Garney’s project page and Brierley’s project page identify the project and its participants.
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Why the HDD pullback was exceptional
The team installed 5,700 feet of 42-inch DR-11 HDPE beneath the Newport News Shipping Channel using HDD. Garney says the route reached more than 100 feet below the riverbed and describes the operation as the world’s longest-known pullback of 42-inch HDPE pipe. Brierley calls it a world record and the longest of its type in the United States. Those are source-attributed record claims, not an independently audited universal ranking. Garney’s project account and Brierley’s project page give their respective descriptions.
The reported pullback duration differs across coverage: ENR’s 2026 feature says 22 hours, while Garney reports 24 hours and ENR’s earlier milestone report says more than 24 hours. The installation therefore took about a day, but the sources do not give one consistent duration. ENR’s 2026 account, Garney’s project page, and ENR’s earlier milestone report use those different figures.
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Why the team chose a longer crossing
The initial concept used a shorter crossing and two marine platforms. One proposed platform location risked congestion near an oil depot and naval vessels. Extending the HDD alignment to shore removed the need for a second platform, reduced in-water work, and avoided interference with shipping and nearby operations.
That choice exchanged marine access demands for a longer and more demanding pullback. ENR reports the extension saved more than $10 million; Garney also reports savings exceeding $10 million and says the extension added 2,300 feet. ENR states that the previous known installation length for 42-inch HDPE at the specified wall thickness was roughly 4,000 feet, making JRX’s 5,700-foot run a substantial increase. These savings and record comparisons are reported project figures and claims, not independently audited industry benchmarks. ENR’s feature and Garney’s project page describe the alignment decision.
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| Approach | Project-specific benefit | Tradeoff or constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Shorter crossing with two marine platforms | Less HDD length and a shorter pipe pullback. | Required a second platform in a constrained area near an oil depot and naval vessels, with added marine work and potential interference. |
| Extended HDD to shore | Eliminated the second platform, reduced in-water work, and avoided interference with shipping and nearby operations; ENR reports savings of more than $10 million. | Required a 5,700-foot pullback of 42-inch HDPE, increasing installation demands and the need to verify subsurface conditions, bore alignment, and pipe loading. |
These are the tradeoffs documented for JRX, not proof that HDD is the right answer for every water crossing. An HDD route depends on suitable ground, a workable bore path, access and staging at both ends, and the ability to manage pulling loads. A marine or open-cut approach presents different impacts and constraints; the project accounts establish the advantages of JRX’s chosen alignment, not a universal ranking of methods.
How the team managed the longer pullback
The design-build brief left the route and construction solution to the team. Garney vice president Jeff Seal described it this way: “Basically, they gave us a flow rate and they said that that it needed to be trenchless with an HDD,” says Jeff Seal, vice president at Garney. “They gave us two connecting points—one on either side—and for the rest of it, they said, ‘Figure it out.’” The team’s response combined investigation, equipment, pipe controls, and continuous coordination.
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- Checked the ground and alignment: The team performed supplemental geotechnical borings and a pilot drill to examine subsurface conditions and validate the alignment before committing to the pullback.
- Used a pipe pusher to reduce pulling demand: A custom pusher mounted on the marine work platform could apply up to 750,000 pounds of force, helping reduce net tensile stress on the HDPE during installation.
- Tightened the pipe ovality tolerance: ENR reports that the allowable ovality was reduced from 5% to 3%. ENR says the tighter tolerance improved installation performance and long-term integrity.
- Selected corrosion-resistant material: The under-channel section used 42-inch DR-11 HDPE, stepping up to 48-inch and 54-inch pipe elsewhere. ENR reports the larger diameters reduce pumping head and energy use. Dewberry’s Paul Longo explained the material choice: “They wanted to never have to go back in [to fix] it and the risk of a coating system failing is higher than the fact that HDPE is a full wall of corrosion resistant thermoplastics.”
- Designed for the bore conditions: Trenchless Technology describes soft soils, 66-inch conductor casings driven to approximately 100 feet, and a bottom drill elevation near 165 feet below the stated reference elevation. It reports that the bore geometry was designed to reduce inadvertent returns and loading on the HDPE. Trenchless Technology’s project report provides these technical details.
- Coordinated work crews continuously: Drilling, marine support, and pipe-handling crews had to work in sequence during the pullback, leaving little room for a handoff or timing breakdown.
ENR’s 2026 project feature describes the pusher, ovality tolerance, pipe sizes, and team decisions. Read ENR’s account for those reported details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the project figures say about delivery
ENR reports a final construction cost of $139 million, $14 million below the original proposal price. It also reports approximately $2 million saved by avoiding privately leased oyster beds and approximately $1.8 million saved by revising shallow-water construction methods and avoiding articulated concrete mats. These are ENR-reported project figures, not independently audited totals. ENR’s 2026 feature gives the cost and savings figures.
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Together, the figures show that the long HDD was one part of a broader delivery strategy. The design team also changed shallow-water methods and avoided a potential oyster-bed lease, while the extended route reduced the need for marine infrastructure. The project’s recognition reflects both the scale of the crossing and the way the team balanced constructability, marine constraints, and reported cost.
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