Antiquated Arch Culvert Replacement Was a Tough Balancing Act
The Author
Hey, my name is irwanbee, and I first published 'Antiquated Arch Culvert Replacement Was a Tough Balancing Act' on 28th September, 2009, within the precast section.
Budget constraints are a common denomi-nator in today’s highway and utility projects. Northumberland County and PennDOT would not escape this reality when faced with an aging and antiquated storm water system. Tough de-cisions had to be made when a circa 1900 brick and mortar arch structure reached the end of its service life. Elements of the existing struc-ture had to be replaced on both the north and southbound sides of Pennsylvania State Route 11 in the Borough of Northumberland. Route 11 is a divided highway that travels north-south through the historic downtown section of town, as it runs parallel with the Susquehanna River.
PennDOT had a challenge on their hands, as they attempted to balance three key fac-tors while trying to figure out which alternative was the best solution for the cost. They wanted to match the shape of the existing culvert they were tying into, minimize the impacts to the surrounding community, as well as accommo-date the numerous existing pipelines that have been added to the culvert throughout the years.
After examining various alternatives, engi-neers at PennDOT and Oldcastle Precast, Inc. developed a simple solution to the problem while allowing for a quick installation. PennDOT elected to use a 48-inch x76-inch horizontal el-liptical reinforced concrete pipe (HERCP) with flared end sections on both sides of the roadway in lieu of a precast box culvert or other meods. This would allow for a four to six week con-struction schedule and the best product for the money spent. HRI, Inc. of Bloomsburg, PA was selected by PennDOT to complete the proj-ect and Oldcastle of Farmingdale, NJ provided the elliptical pipeline and flared end sections.
Eleven existing pipelines (five pipelines on the northbound side and six on the southbound side) of various sizes and types had been tied into the existing culvert at various times, providing a chal-lenge for construction. These pipes ranged in size and material from 8-inch diameter ductile iron to 18-inch diameter reinforced concrete, and were aligned at different inverts and angles. The exact tie-in location of these lines needed to be deter-mined, so a laying schedule was developed. Each pipe could then be numbered and pre-cut holes positioned to allow for the existing lines to simply be mortared into place. The pipe was assembled by Oldcastle prior to shipment to ensure the ac-curacy of the hole placement and joint al
