Culvert Repair Solution for Town of Florida

Problem

In the Town of Florida, Massachusetts, MassDOT officials reported a 60’ long, 114” diameter Corrugated Metal Pipe (CMP) culvert crossing under a roadway was missing a significant area of the pipe along the bottom at the dowstream end of the culvert. After inspection, it was determined that the metal had rusted out. Along with other, smaller areas of disrepair along the pipe, this decreased the operational purpose of the culvert because the stream bed was flowing under it, not through it. This destabilized the soils around the culvert, causing settlement of the roadway and a small sinkhole to develop. Significant settlement of approximately 4” had formed across the lanes and shoulders of the twolane asphalt roadway.

Analysis

URETEK arrived at the location and determined that crews would need to build a protective wall around the culvert’s top and sides to restore the soils’ bearing capacity above and around the culvert. Once the voids were filled around the culvert, URETEK would need to have the bottom section repaired to get the water flowing back through the culvert. Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) testing determined optimum injection depths for the URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI) process.

Solution

For the soil stabilization effort in Town of Florida, UDI was employed by injecting our 486 Star® polymer to stabilize the soils under the roadway and around and above the culvert. Crews also injected at an angle from inside the culvert, injecting every 4 feet running the full 60’ length to fill the voids and stabilize the pipe’s lower section. Crews would inject a few feet from the bottom of the culvert on each side, injecting into the soils using a surface grid pattern of approximately 4’x 4’. The work area on the road was approximately 42’ wide by 40’ long. After a successful process, all injection tubes were recessed and grouted after the completion of the project.

Result

MassDOT was delighted with the result of URETEK’s work. The soils were stabilized above and around the culvert using multiple injection techniques. URETEK started the project in the winter and even worked during a snowstorm, stopping only when the weather became a safety issue. The project was completed during the following spring. The culvert was interlined, and water is now flowing through the pipe without hindrance. After a significant culvert repair operation in Town of Florida, Massachusetts, URETEK provided efficient, attentive, and cost-effective repair solutions that will outlast traditional methods.

URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI)

Widely referenced throughout our industry, UDI involves the injection of structural polymer into base and subgrade soils to increase the load bearing capacity. This is achieved by injecting the polymer through small holes drilled directly through the pavement structure to depths determined by site-specific analysis. Our URETEK 486 Star® material flows easily into voids and weak zones within the soil mass below. Through a controlled chemical reaction, the expanding polymer compacts surrounding soils and applies a controlled pressure on targeted areas of the affected pavement above. If needed, a multi-injection design plan is utilized to gently return the pavement to its original grade. The composite material quickly cures into a strong, dimensionally stable, and water-resistant geo-material, providing years of reliable service.

URETEK 486 Star®

URETEK 486 Star® polymer is a two-component, high-density, expanding thermoset polyurethane system. It was developed to be the ideal solution for under-sealing, void filling, lifting of settled pavement, stabilization and stiffening of weak soils, and for encapsulating and sealing buried infrastructure. URETEK 486 Star® is environmentally inert, non-toxic, and resists underground water erosion or weakening due to its industry-leading hydrophobic properties.