The rehabilitation project illustrated project management and coordination with the community and stakeholders can be more challenging than the technical design. The largest technical aspect of this large-bore sewer rehabilitation was design of the bypass. Another lesson learned was that large bureaucratic departments such as the SCDOT can respond favorably to open and direct communications. As engineers, we often focus too heavily on our role and on the technical aspects of projects. This endeavor would not have been successful, or even possible, without the effort toward teambuilding and buy in from the community. Consider the different organizations playing major roles in addition to the Owner, Engineer and Contractor, which included: Norfolk-Southern Railroad, SCDOT and their utility coordination consultant, the City of North Charleston, the Charleston County School Board, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, commercial business property owners and local residents. During the development and execution of the project plan, there were times when it was necessary for the project managers to relinquish control, a difficult proposition for many Engineers, and allow these contributing roles to be fulfilled. Public relations and community acceptance require effort and are critical to project success. Lastly, the repair of underground infrastructure before the situation becomes critical is the opportunity to turn a liability into an asset.
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