KAI 360 Construction Services (KAI 360 CS) is proud to announce that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) St. Louis Section has named the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s (MSD) Deer Creek Sanitary Tunnel and Pump Station as its 2024 Project of the Year. This $150 million, 3.9-mile tunnel and associated dewatering pump station is designed to prevent sanitary sewer overflows, protecting local residents and businesses from potential environmental and health risks.
Under a contract with MSD, KAI provided construction management services for the Deer Creek Pump Station project, which was designed by Parsons Corporation and constructed by KCI Construction. ASCE St. Louis presented MSD and the Deer Creek project team with the award on Sept. 20 during its Annual Awards Dinner. The Project of the Year award is presented annually to a St. Louis area “engineering project that demonstrates the greatest engineering skills and represents the greatest contribution to civil engineering progress and mankind.”
The Deer Creek Sanitary Tunnel and Pump Station project is part of MSD’s Project Clear initiative to improve water quality and alleviate wastewater concerns throughout St. Louis City and County. MSD Project Clear will invest billions of dollars over a generation in planning, designing and building community rain scaping, system improvements, and an ambitious program of maintenance and repair. MSD contracted with KAI 360 CS to manage the pump station portion of the Deer Creek project, which included construction management and inspection, design reviews, scheduling and cost estimating, field engineering, constructability and biddability reviews, commissioning, construction administration, and M/WBE participation monitoring.
“We are deeply honored to be a part of this award-winning project, which stands as a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire team,” said KAI 360 CS President Bruce Wood, PE. “KAI’s long-standing relationship with MSD spans well over a decade and is built on a shared commitment to delivering impactful, high-quality projects. We take immense pride in our role in enhancing the region by developing solutions that improve the everyday lives of its residents. We’re excited to continue our successful partnership with MSD and to build on this legacy of excellence together.”
The four-mile-long Deer Creek Sanitary Tunnel extends from Clayton Road in the City of Clayton to Interstate 44 in the City of Shrewsbury. Located 150-250 feet below ground in deep rock, the tunnel travels through the heavily populated municipalities of Richmond Heights, Clayton, Brentwood, Maplewood, Webster Groves and Shrewsbury.
SAK Construction began mining for and installing the 19-foot-diameter tunnel in 2017 using a 22-foot diameter tunnel boring machine dubbed “Mrs. Nancy.” During periods of heavy rain, the tunnel has the capacity to store more than 38 million gallons of peak sanitary sewer flows, which alleviates the overcharging that contributes to basement backups and sewer overflows.
Located at the downstream end of the storage tunnel, KCI Construction started building the $32.3 million pump station in September 2020 to dewater the tunnel. Together the system conveys sewage to the wastewater treatment plant at a controlled rate, which eliminates an expensive treatment plant expansion. In April 2023, the Deer Creek Sanitary Tunnel and Pump Station was completed despite suffering a delay due to unexpected flooding in July 2022 when St. Louis received over nine inches of rain in a 24-hour period.
Project photos by Tom Paule
