OUR BLOG: INSIDE THE LIFT

12Nov 2014

FDOT Makes Emergency Call to URETEK to Repair Storm Drainage Pipe

By Robert Armstead

When the pavement began to collapse and surface depressions began to appear along the pavement’s shoulder on Shoreline and Hoffman Drive in Gulf Breeze, Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation put in an emergency call to URETEK  to inject geotechnical polymer using the URETEK Method.

Surface depression due to the loss of bearing soils.
Surface depression due to the loss of bearing soils.

The video footage from a camera inserted into the storm drainage pipe showed that faulty joints at multiple locations was creating voids under the right-of-way, which was causing the pavement to collapse and surface depressions.

Soil migrating into the storm drain system.
Soil migrating into the storm drain system.

Tommy Russum, URETEK’s Sales Engineer, worked with Metric Engineering and the FDOT in designing the injection locations and quantities of geotechnical polymer.  The plan called for URETEK to fill the soil voids and encapsulate and seal the faulty joints from inflow and infiltration before restoring the drainage pipe with a Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP) solution installed by Suncoast Infrastructure.

Outcropping of geotechnical polymer confirms voids are filled.
Outcropping of geotechnical polymer along joints.

On the day of installation, URETEK’s crew entered the 36″ pipe in the storm drain system to inject the geotechnical polyermer using the URETEK Method.  The outcropping of the geotechnical polymer confirmed that the voids were filled and the storm drain system was now stabilized.

Before installing the liner, Suncoast once again videotaped the inside of the pipe to confirm that there were no signs of inflows after URETEK completed sealing the pipe’s joints.  The end result was total restoration and repair of the storm drainage pipe and a satisfied customer.