Side clearance of pipes in trenches

From the design point of view, it's predominant to minimize the width of pipe trenches due to thebelow reasons:

(i)  Higher cost of excavation is related with wider pipe trenches.

(ii) Width of trench affects the loads on installed pipelines in consideration of embankment condition and wide trench condition. For minimum pipe trench width, loads on pipelines can be decreased.

Though sufficient space has to be provided to allow for proper compaction. This is helpful to decrease the reaction at critical locations of pipelines under traffic and fill loads. Furthermore consideration must be given to accommodate temporary works for deep trenches where shoring has to be provided at the time of construction.