The Alabama State Department of Transportation discovered a large void beneath a three-barrel public culvert under a heavily traveled two-lane rural highway.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.
Total replacement of the culvert was considered. This solution would both exceed their budget for the project and require a 50-mile traffic detour, creating an extensive problem for the rural community over several weeks. After reviewing their options, the Alabama DOT selected Uretek to fill the underground void and reinforce the existing culvert structure.
Uretek applied a uniform pattern injection of its Uretek 486 polymer material, ensuring an even disbursement of the material throughout the void area. With the culvert’s three-barrel design, Uretek used a patterned injection spread across each of the three barrels. The two barrels located directly above the deepest section of the void received the most injections while the third barrel received the remaining injections.
The injection process began at 8 a.m. and was concluded by 3 p.m.
Continuous injection of polymer along the base of the culvert gave visual assurance of filling. Once the material hardened, and the equipment moved away, both lanes of traffic above the culvert moved unobstructed.
Uretek’s rapid resolution to the problem saved the Alabama DOT from having to manage several weeks of detours and disruptions, as well as the additional expenses associated with lane and traffic closure.
