Faster, cheaper, safer

By: Angus W. Stocking

Bismarck, N.D., maintains 300 lane-miles of paved road, and the paving season is limited; therefore, Supervisor Rod Kudrna is always on the lookout for ways to save time. Ten years ago, he started using manhole risers made by American Highway Products (AHP) and he’s never looked back: “Oh, they save a lot of time and money. The same job would take an hour or more without the risers.”

AHP’s Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Risers do just one thing, and they do it well: They’re heavy-duty, adjustable, galvanized rims that fit into existing utility frames and can be raised as high as needed to accommodate new paving. The old manhole lid then fits snugly into the new riser. Customers specify measurements in five dimensions, and the risers are made to order. But custom risers do not guarantee a snug fit; existing frames can wear unevenly or be out of round, so installers use the pivoted turnbuckle to adjust the riser up to a ½ in. in or out.

“They’re real easy to install,” said Kudrna. “We just pop the cover, get the right-size riser in there and tighten her down.” The turnbuckles are adjusted with a screwdriver, and the design allows users to exert thousands of pounds of pressure, quickly adapting the riser to the frame.