Slashing time, costs underground

August 8, 1983
CableVision 

McCourt Cable Systems melds techniques, uses 'rock saw' pavement cutter, integral's conduit to rapidly wire Boston's 800-mile system.

Boston- State of the art in underground cable system construction appears to be on the verge of taking a quantum leap forward, thanks to successful employment of new technologies in the Cablevision Systems Development new-build here.

McCourt Cable Systems Inc., primary contractor for the 800-mile Boston system, has brought together several techniques to produce and installation procedure that cuts underground construction time by at least 40 percent, with attendant cost savings in the 25 percent range.

According to Jerry Crusan, Cablevision's director of group engineering, the McCourt approach, while employing a variety of advances developed by other firms, represents a unique synthesis that constitutes a significant improvement over other techniques that constitutes a significant improvement over other techniques the MSO has investigated.

Crusan said the most important elements of the McCourt Boston Integral (MBI) construction system are use of "rock saw" pavement cutting equipment and pre-construction installation of cable in specially designed conduit lines developed by Integral Corp. of Dallas

Heretofore, the underground installation construction process typically has involved digging a deep, wide trench; placing plastic conduits that connect at 10- and 20-foot intervals; and then pulling the cables through the conduits.

In the new approach, the rock saw, a giant self-propelled saw, moves slowly along the street, cutting a narrow trench.  The flexible conduit with cable already installed, is pulled from a 7-foot reel into the trench.  The conduit is encased with a specially developed concrete, which is capped with a bituminous concrete that has been infrared treated

Cablevision Systems has been using the new Integral conduit-encased cable approach for the past year or so, but the Boston project represents the first time the Integral technique has been wedded to the rock saw cutting process, according to Crusan.  He indicated McCourt has filled an important role in bringing the two approaches together in a way that permits efficient construction without damage to underground wiring and conduits already in place

The McCourt technique required approval of the city government in Boston, which initially frowned on the idea out of concern for potential property damage or inquiries to people that might result from flying debris generated by the giant saw.  The city eventually agreed to permit the new approach on a conditional basis.  In the period since MBI construction began May2, nothing has the fully support of the administration.

Crusan said Cablevision System Development hopes to win approval for use of the MBI technique in its new franchises in Brooklyn and the Bronx, N. y.., as well as in Chicago and any other systems requiring substantial underground wiring.  He said New York, with some 700 miles of underground wiring required in the Cablevision franchises, is an especially important market for application of the MBI system.

Writing in the MSO's internal newsletter Crusan recently stated, "We're seeing about a 40 percent reduction in construction time.One of the nicest features of this system is that it allows us to get in under the old method.  That's obviously helpful in reducing noise and traffic disruptions, which, in turn makes life much easier for us."

A 25 percent savings in underground construction costs would cut the current average of $250,000 per mile to $187,500.  In the typical large urban system, requiring well over 100 miles of underground installation, this would translate into a savings of approximately $1 million or more in system construction outlays.

Although, in Crusan's opinion, McCourt's marriage of rock saw and Integral conduit techniques makes the Boston-based contractor a prime candidate to employ the techniques in other Cablevision franchises, there appears to be no reason why other contractors could not bring the two technologies together using their own methods.  With McCourt actively marketing the technique and others likely to follow suit, the innovations in Boston could portend significant savings and time advantages for the entire CATV industry.

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