Hampton Roads Sanitation District – James River Crossing

Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) serves more than 1.9 million people across southeast Virginia and the Eastern Shore, operating more than 500 miles of pipeline and treatment facilities capable of processing 225 million gallons per day.  HRSD’s journey to HDPE adoption has been a true collective industry effort. HRSD’s relationship with HDPE developed gradually. The Alliance for PE Pipe conducted a seminar for district staff in 2017 followed by a roadshow in 2019. At the time, HRSD’s chief engineer questioned whether HDPE was a good fit for the system. After several successful projects, that skepticism changed. By 2023, HRSD was relying on HDPE for nearly all of its large diameter pipeline work.

HDPE now plays an important role in HRSD’s multi-billion-dollar Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT). The program provides advanced treatment of wastewater to drinking water quality standards before returning it to the Potomac Aquifer. Ultimately, SWIFT could recharge the aquifer with up to 120 million gallons per day while reducing saltwater intrusion, nutrient discharges to the Chesapeake Bay and land subsidence.

A centerpiece of the program is the James River Crossing, a design-build project led by Garney Construction. The project includes 24,400 feet of 42- to 54-inch AGRU HDPE pipe connecting HRSD’s Boat Harbor and Nansemond facilities.

Installation combined a record-setting horizontal directional drill with subaqueous construction beneath the James River. HDPE’s fused joints, flexibility and corrosion resistance made it particularly well suited for the demanding crossing. Pipe sections were fused on a barge, weighted with concrete ballast and lowered into a submerged trench. Following landfall in summer 2025, the pipeline was backfilled and protected for long-term service.

The James River Crossing demonstrates how dramatically HRSD’s view of HDPE has changed. Once considered an uncertain option, HDPE is now helping HRSD tackle some of its largest and most technically demanding infrastructure projects.

Image: https://www.dewberry.com/projects/james-river-crossing