Culvert and Highway Rescue for Alabama’s Department of Transportation
Situation: The Alabama State Department of Transportation discovered a large void beneath a three-barrel public culvert under a heavily traveled two-lane rural highway.
Background: After many years, the soil beneath a three-barrel culvert had washed away to the point where the stream water no longer flowed through the culvert but into the void. Since the two-lane roadway above the culvert was heavily traveled, there was growing concern that the culvert and the road above might collapse. The potential for serious traffic disruption as a result of such an event prompted the Alabama DOT to take action and resolve the problem.
Solution: URETEK Holdings was called in to fill the voids underneath the culvert, displacing the water, and ultimately restore a correct waterflow and stabilize the culvert. A uniform injection pattern was used to ensure even disbursement of material throughout the void areas.
Outcome: Robert Emfinger, URETEK’s project manager on this job, reports that after injection of the 486STAR polymer, his crew was able to lift the culvert two inches to its original elevation, stabilizing the roadway and culvert, avoiding a potential collapse of the road. Returning the culvert to working order also avoided the major expense of reconstructing the culvert and roadway and subsequent traffic closures and delays.
