March 2013, Vol. 68 No. 3
Features
Quick Culvert Rehab
Government departments across the nation continue to address failing culverts that pose serious risks to state and interstate highways and city streets.
Unfortunately, once installed, culverts often are out of sight and out of mind. However, the result of neglecting this component of infrastructure eventually makes itself known, often in a catastrophic failure resulting in costly emergency repairs.
Indiana Reline Inc., Sulphur Springs, IN, is actively involved in rehabilitating culverts and other types of pipelines throughout the United States, using various technologies, depending on the level of deterioration and site conditions.
A recent project was to reline twin culverts for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) on U.S. Highway 23 in the northwestern part of the state. Indiana Reline was the general contractor performing erosion control, dewatering, constructing coffer dams, cleaning of the host pipes and site restoration. Abel Recon, Mountville, PA, applied the polyurethane lining.
Each multi-plate culvert was 90-feet long with dimensions of 13.5 feet by 8.5 feet, said Karl Bates III, Indiana Reline chief estimator/division manager. The age of the culverts is not known, but Bates said ODOT estimated they were put in place in the 1960s or early ’70s.
Identifying a solution
“Both culverts were structurally sound, but were experiencing signs of deterioration on the inverts,” Bates said. “Because of their condition, it was determined a spray liner was the best option to prevent further deterioration. Square footage inside the culverts was 6,789 square feet, and that was the basis for the cost of the spray and its application.”
Sprayroq Sprayshield Green II was selected as the material of choice for the project — it is the first time the product was used by ODOT.
Sprayshield Green II is a semi-rigid, 100 percent solids polyurethane coating formulated for use in water, storm water and wastewater environments. It provides corrosion and chemical resistance for concrete, steel, masonry, fiberglass and other surfaces in municipal, industrial, agricultural and maritime applications. A 300 mil application was installed in each of the culverts.
Bates said the first step on the project was construction of a cofferdam to divert water into the adjacent culvert. Next, an Indiana Reline crew, using a jet vac truck and 5,000 gallon water truck, thoroughly cleaned the culvert. Abel Recon used a 3,000 psi pressure washer to remove rust, loose metal, dirt or organic material. Once cleaning was complete, the excess water was pumped from the area. Heat and forced air was utilized to dry the plating.
Sprayshield material then was applied by a manufacturer-certified technician from Able Recon who first coated the top and sides of the culvert and then the invert. The fast cure time of the material allowed Indiana Reline to quickly reinstate the flow of water into the coated structure by moving the cofferdam to the second structure so that work could commence on it.
Bates said the project began the last week of September 2012 with two Abel Recon crews mobilized the first week of October and working around the clock.
SprayShield Green II is applied with a proprietary heated plural component spray system. The material application is monitored in sectional areas and by volume of material pumped through the system. During the process, the technician is protected by a Tyvek suit, gloves and a fresh air mask system. The crew crosschecks that the proper volume of material has been sprayed in the area with the disbursement equipment’s integrated digital monitoring as well as visual and thickness examination.
Quick turnaround
The first culvert was completed in four days. The crew then remobilized and moved to the second culvert and repeated the process. It also was finished in four days. SprayShield Green II’s quick curing time allowed the newly protected structure to be returned to service immediately.
Environmental factors such as freeze/thaw cycling, vibration and seismic activities have no effect on the performance of the lining. Bates said the product is ideally designed for applications on surfaces that are exposed to acids, corrosives and other caustic elements.
Placing rip rap, concrete paving the inlet and seeding and mulching at inlet and outlet ends of the twin culverts were completed during the final three weeks of the contract. Start to finish the work took seven weeks.
Sprayroq products are manufactured by Sprayroq Inc., Pelham, AL.
Abel Recon services include structure cleaning and evaluation, structural rehabilitation, corrosion protection, chemical grouting, cured-in-place-pipe lining, and root control.
Indiana Reline specializes in pipe rehabilitation by sliplining and cellular grouting, box culvert rehabilitation, CentriPipe PVC spiral wound pipe rehabilitation, hand-mine tunneling, pipe bursting and ramming, HDPE specialty fabrication and lake overflow and spillway rehabilitation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Indiana Reline, (877) 533-5040, www.indianareline.com
Sprayroq, (800) 634-0504, www.Sprayroq.com
Abel Recon, (717) 285-3103, http://abelrecon.com
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