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Our crew has just completed a trenchless pipe bursting project, pulling a new 70-metre HDPE sanitary pipe six feet underground. We've used pipe bursting a handful of times in the past, and it comes in especially handy when there's simply no practical way to access the site with heavy equipment and excavate a traditional open trench.
That was exactly the situation on the City of Coquitlam's 2026 Pipe Bursting Project in the Chine Crescent area. The work runs through multiple residential properties and backyards, with virtually no room for excavators or other heavy equipment to get in. That's where trenchless pipe bursting becomes the preferred solution.
"Basically, we dig two pits at either end of the existing utility line and pull the new pipe underground from one end to the other," explains William Bampton, a Foreman with Complete Utility Contractors.
"We first insert a pulling rod through the existing sanitary pipe. Once it comes out at the other end, we attach a 13-inch, heavy-duty, cone-shaped steel bursting head to it. The back of the bursting head is then connected to the new 70-metre pipe. As we pull it back, one metre at a time, the bursting head breaks the old sanitary pipe outward into the surrounding soil while the new pipe follows directly behind it, taking its place."
William sums up the process with a little more humor:
"We shove the new pipe inside the old pipe, and as we keep pulling, the old pipe cracks underground while the new pipe neatly takes its place. No mess, no headache."
And that's really the beauty of pipe bursting. Instead of digging up yards, landscaping and everything else sitting above the pipe, we replace the old underground line from the surface with only a couple of access pits.
Once completed, this $1.5-million project will replace more than 210 metres of storm pipe and 321 metres of sanitary pipe, along with new sanitary and storm services, complete with inspection chambers or service reconnections.
By the end of September, the new pipes are expected to be online and serving the Harbour Chines neighbourhood.
Sometimes, when we can't dig, we burst it!
We shove the new pipe inside the old pipe, and as we keep pulling, the old pipe cracks underground while the new pipe neatly takes its place. No mess, no headache.