A recent sewer project in Fremont, California, U.S.A. comprised the installation and rehabilitation of over 10,225 ft. of 12 in and 18 in i.d. pipeline. Client for the project was the Union Sanitary District, a public agency serving several communities in the area. The project route ran beneath the Peralta Boulevard district of the town and involved the crossing of several arterial roads in central Fremont with pipes inverts at depths of between 12 and 20 ft below ground surface.

It was decided to utilize microtunneling to install some 2,860 ft of the 18 inch diameter pipe with open cut being used for the remainder. Initial indications showed that ground surface conditions would comprise medium stiff sandy clays and clayey sands, loose to medium dense silty and sandy soils and medium to dense gravels. Ground water levels were expected to be below the projected invert of the new pipelines.