no about it –no about it – concrete pipe is no dinosaur! · river flood control project bones...

Volume 55 No. 2 Spring 2003

• Force Main Replaced withRCP Interceptor Tunnel

• RCP Used on MississippiRiver Flood Control Project

BonesConcrete Pipe is No Dinosaur!No About It –BonesConcrete Pipe is No Dinosaur!No About It –

Gigantic T-REX Project Shapes Denver's Transportation Future

AmericanConcrete Pipe

Association

This issue:Volume 55, Number 2Spring 2003Concrete Pipe News is published four timeseach year by the American Concrete PipeAssociation. It is designed to provideinformation on the use and installation ofprecast concrete pipe products for a widevariety of applications, including drainage andpollution control systems. Industry technology,research and trends are also importantsubjects of the publication. Readers includeengineers, specifiers, public works officials,contractors, suppliers, vendors and membersof the American Concrete Pipe Association.

American Concrete Pipe Association StaffJohn J. DuffyPresident

Mike SaubertDirector of Marketing

Josh BeakleyDirector of Technical Services

Matt ChildsDirector of Engineering Services

Wendy LambertController

Media Task GroupBill GardnerMadison Concrete Pipe, Inc.Madison, Wisconsin

Walter KrahnInland Pipe LimitedCalgary, Alberta

Bill HobsonN C ProductsRaleigh, North Carolina

Mike BeachamRinker Materials, Hydro ConduitDenton, Nebraska

Contract Editorial StaffA. Grant LeeAGL Marketing LimitedExecutive Editor

Gary WilderWilder StudiosProduction

Published by:American Concrete Pipe Association222 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 641Irving, Texas 75039-5423Phone: (972) 506-7216Fax: (972) 506-7682E-mail: [email protected]

Table of ContentsRegular Departments“A New Strategy for the Concrete Pipe Industry” .............................................. 3From Association President John J. Duffy

Industry Spotlight ...............................................................................................4Philip L. Thompson, P.E., Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department ofTransportation, Washington, DC

FeaturesNo Bones About It – Concrete Pipe is No Dinosaur! ............................................. 6When it comes to pipe performance and durability, reinforced concrete pipecontinues to maintain its place in history as the most reliable product for storm andsanitary sewers. That’s why it’s being used extensively on T-REX, on the largest design-build transportation project, in Colorado history.

Force Main Replaced with RCP Interceptor Tunnel .............................................. 9Three miles of 84-inch diameter gravity sewer has replaced three miles of 24-inchdiameter force main in Michigan, providing improved sanitary sewage collection forseveral growing townships. The new collection system also provides energy savings,lower operational costs and reduced orders.

RCP Used on Mississippi River Flood Control Project ........................................ 12“The Big Muddy” and Mother Nature are forces that no man wishes to take on alone.The US Army Corps of Engineers turned to Hanson Pipe & Products to help tame floodrunoff and high water elevations using reinforced concrete pipe in NorthwesternTennessee.

Front Cover:Two excavators are

needed to keep pace withthe aggressive

installation schedule ofprecast concrete pipe on

this section of Denver’sT-REX Transportation

Project.

Front Cover Inset Photo:Over 2-1/2 miles of

precast concrete boxsections up to 12-foot x

8-foot (span and rise)are being installed on

the T-REX Projectin Denver.

(Photos courtesy ofSoutheast Corridor

Constructors.)

Don’t Wander Off Too Far, Scott!This issue of Concrete Pipe News is dedicated to Scott Olson, chairman of ACPA’sMedia Task Group for the past three years. Scott was responsible for overseeing thecreative development, peer review and membership distribution of ACPA’s quarterlymagazine. Scott is a true concrete pipe professional, outstanding team player and all-around great guy – we will miss you!

Opinions expressed by authors other than staffof the American Concrete Pipe Association donot necessarily reflect the official positions orpolicies of the Association. No part of thispublication may be reproduced or transmittedby any means without written permission fromthe publisher. © Copyright 2003 ACPA

T-Rex dinosaur image on front cover compliments of Nimbacreations.com

President'sReport

John J. Duffy

Our strategy for marketing the concretepipe industry and members products is basedon the realities of modern-day technology,changing workplace environments, expecta-tions of purchasers and owners of reinforcedconcrete drainage systems, pure and appliedscience, and a sound knowledge of the per-formance of competitive products.

Automated production facilities with inte-grated plants and workstations are alreadyevolving to levels undreamed of in the 1980s.These modern day facilities will continue toevolve to the point where the ratio of manhours per ton of output will be reduced tolowest possible levels.

Young managers and production staff willhave high levels of mechanical, electrical andcomputer training. Because of safe, clean andchallenging workplace environments, they willhave satisfying long-term employment. Even

though consolidation of concrete pipe produc-ers is likely to continue, people with skills inautomation, management and maintenancewill be in demand. Our strategy includes ini-tiatives for raising plant quality with safe andexciting workplace environments to attract anew generation of employees.

The science behind pipe, production, andinstallation is being presented in universitiesand colleges as a revitalized and profitablecareer option. Young engineers are graduat-ing with more knowledge about drainage prod-ucts than in previous generations. The indus-try needs researchers and scientists to advancethe knowledge of pipe and soil physics. TheACPA has instituted short course schools, out-reach programs and research projects withuniversities and colleges across North America.Our strategy builds upon young minds andseasoned teachers.

Concrete pipe products have variousshapes. The understanding of how round pipeperforms is well advanced. Product improve-ment for all shapes of pipe will continue sothat in all states and provinces, concrete pipeis the benchmark upon which all other mate-rials are measured. New Standard Installationsfor bedding are being adopted by the publicsector. Our new strategy advances the qualityof concrete pipe and the understanding of Stan-dard Installations.

New federal and state legislation is chan-neling funds into infrastructure and transpor-tation projects. Trenchless technology is be-coming more widely accepted and applied.Producers are developing new product appli-cations for precast concrete components andhelping develop standards and specificationsthat can be easily adopted by industry offi-cials. ACPA is in the business of reviewing anddeveloping standards with government agen-cies and professional associations. Our strat-egy accommodates this interest.

Competitors are relentless in providing

A New Strategyfor the

Concrete Pipe Industry

continued on page 14

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IndustrySpotlight

Philip L. Thompson, P.E.Senior Hydraulics EngineerFederal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation

Philip Thompson is the Senior HydraulicsEngineer of the Federal Highway Administra-tion (FHWA), located in the Office of BridgeTechnology (HIBT) at FHWA Headquarters. Heis team leader of the FHWA National Hydrau-lics Team and team leader ofHIBT hydraulics, geotechnicaland computer applications en-gineers. He has been with theFHWA since 1969 when hegraduated from Montana StateUniversity in Bozeman, Mon-tana with a Masters degree.During his 34-year career withFHWA, he has been an Area En-gineer in Illinois, a HydraulicsEngineer for Federal LandsHighway projects, a Demonstra-tion Project Manager, Chief ofthe Engineering and Traffic Op-erations Group of the Demon-stration Projects Division, Headquarters Hy-draulic Engineer, and Chief of the Hydraulicsand Geotechnical Branch. He is a ProfessionalEngineer with license in Virginia, a memberof ASCE, and the Secretary for the AASHTOTask Force on Hydrology and Hydraulics since1989.

Mr. Thompson works with representativesof the concrete pipe industry on a variety ofhydraulics-related engineering design stan-dards. These are Mr. Thompson’s responses

to a few questions posed by the ACPA.Q: The Federal Highway Administration

(FHWA) has developed, and continues to de-velop and revise many publications on hydrau-lics during your tenure. Which publicationwould you say has had the most impact withrespect to simplifying the hydraulic design ofculverts for the practicing engineer? Please ex-plain why.

Thompson: The publication Hydraulic DesignSeries (HDS) No. 5, Hydraulic Design of High-way Culverts, consolidates information that wasin various Hydraulic Engineering Circulars(HECs). FHWA publishes hydraulic proceduresthat are being developed as an HEC, the fa-miliar blue covered manuals. Hydraulic Charts

for the Selection of HighwayCulverts, HEC 5, 1965, wasone of the first HECs. An HDS,a brown covered manual, is amature design procedure thatis not expected to change.HDS 5 was published in 1985and the basic design proce-dures remain the same. HDS5 has been updated to includethe results of research onManning’s n and recently toinclude metric design aids.The current edition, FHWA-NHI-01-020 is available at:www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/

hydpub.htm.Q: In addition to publications, the FHWA

has worked with other organizations, includ-ing the American Concrete Pipe Association indeveloping software for designers of culverts.How do you believe the engineering commu-nity has benefited from these efforts, and doesyour department plan on developing more soft-ware?

Thompson: The engineering community ben-efits from having standard procedures, likeHDS 5, provided in software format. The soft-

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ware provides results that are similar to thehand methods, reproducible and accurate. Forexample, the software HY 8, FHWA CulvertAnalysis, provides the same results as the handmethods provided in HDS 5. Using the soft-ware, the designer is not limited to the designdischarge, but can review a range of discharges.For structural design of culverts, FHWA pub-lished FHWA-IP-83-6, Structural Design Manualfor Improved Inlets and Culverts, which pro-vided example standard plans for improvedinlets. As a part of the project, Tim McGrathproduced two computer programs for doingthe computations: BOXCAR and PIPECAR.Since the programs were not part of the project,they were not documented. Therefore, ACPAand FHWA partnered to have the programsdocumented. FHWApublished Version 1.0of the programs. TheACPA has further de-veloped these pro-grams, convertedthem to MS Windowsand made them avail-able on their Web site.We plan to continue tosupport the develop-ment of highway hy-draulic software andmake it availablethrough our Web site:www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/hydsoft.htm.

Q: We understand you teach several semi-nars a year on hydraulics. Do you have anyeducational tools or methods that you find workbetter than others?

Thompson: FHWA is updating its trainingcourses to be more responsive to adult learn-ing techniques. We have changed from theone-hour lecture format for training to a moreinteractive approach, which involves moreworkshops and group activities. FHWA train-

ing is provided through the National HighwayInstitute. A summary of hydraulics trainingcourses is found at: www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/hydtrain.htm.

Q: Much of your work involves correspond-ing with the state DOTs and regional FHWAoffices throughout the U.S. In what ways doyou assist the states?

Thompson: FHWA provides technical assistanceservices to State DOTs, as requested. A largepart of this assistance is aiding in the imple-mentation of our guidelines, software and train-ing. However, we are also called on to assistin the preliminary engineering of complex hy-draulic designs. The primary provider of as-sistance is now our Resource Centers, whichare in Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago and San Fran-

cisco. Another ser-vice that we provideis similar to the ser-vice that ACPA pro-vides through its Re-source Directory; weact as an archive ofall the FHWA high-way hydraulic re-search and technol-ogy publicationsthat have been pro-duced over the last40 years. All recentmaterial is madeavailable throughthe Internet. The re-

mainder is available for reference in the Of-fice of Bridge Technology or at the TFHRCHydraulics Laboratory.

Q: You are enjoying a long and respectedcareer with FHWA. To date, what do you con-sider your most challenging assignment? Pleaseexplain.

Thompson: I represented FHWA in the NTSB

continued on page 14

Thompson’s work includes this unusual 114-inch diameter reinforcedconcrete pipe diversion tunnel with a slope tapered improved inlet, debrisfin, a riser and a hook energy dissipater. (See comments on page 14.)

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Brian Schram, Rinker Materials, Hydro Conduit DivisionDenver, Colorado(303) 288-6677

When considering pipe performance anddurability, concrete pipe is no dinosaur. Rein-forced concrete pipe (RCP) and boxes con-tinue to maintain their place in history as themost reliable product for storm and sanitarysewers in North America. In Colorado, RCP hasalways been the preferred choice among speci-fiers and designers, despite offers of lowerprices by producers of thermoplastic drainageproducts. The largest and most ambitious de-sign-build transportation project in the historyof Colorado, known as T-REX, is providing thelatest opportunity to test the confidence ofspecifiers and designers in precast concretedrainage products.

Metro Denver’s Transportation ExpansionProject (T-REX) is a $1.67 billion combined free-way reconstruction and light-rail extension in-volving the simultaneous rehabilitation of 17miles (27 kilometers) of I-25 and I-225 and con-struction of a light-rail extension and its 13 sta-

tions over a distance of 19 miles (almost 31kilometers).

After the project began in the summer of2001, the construction/design team SoutheastCorridors Constructors (Kiewit Construction Co.and Parsons Transportation Group), ap-proached Carter & Burgess (the project over-sight engineer) about changing the storm sewerdesign from concrete pipe to alternate materi-als. The request was made to reduce projectcosts by specifying a pipe material that had alower list price than concrete pipe. No consid-eration was given to the costs of prematurereplacement of alternate pipe products, bed-ding materials and labor costs, not to mentionthe hidden economic and social costs of pre-mature roadway drainage repairs.

John Griffith, project manager, Carter &Burgess and Scott Leiker, hydraulics engineer,Colorado Department Of Transport (CDOT)Region 6 were charged with the task of mak-

Gigantic T-REX Project Shapes Denver's Transportation Future

No Bones About It – Concrete Pipe Is No Dinosaur!

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c o n c r e t e p i p e n e w s f e a t u r e s t o r y

The installation crew gets ready for placement of the final section ingrade transition box culvert line.

Denver’s T-REX Transportation Project includes 1,500 feet of precastconcrete pipe that will be bored and jacketed into position.

ing recommendations to the overall T-REXproject leaders on what type of piping materi-als should be used in various locations. Theystudied all aspects of pipe material character-istics including long-term strength and stiffnessproperties, hydraulics, service life, relative easeof installation, and the history of how the vari-ous pipe materials have performed in the re-gion. Knowing concrete pipe’s track record ofperforming well in harsh Colorado climaticconditions, and that it is used most often forCDOT storm sewer installations, Leiker andGriffith were confident in the specification ofconcrete pipe. In their evaluation, concrete pipewas held as the benchmark to which all otherpiping materials would be compared.

The final decision was made to allow onlylimited use of alternate materials in small di-ameters. Higher quality pipe bedding, tighterinspection, and deflection testing are being re-quired where alternate materials are being used.Concrete pipe is the only pipe material per-mitted for installation under the mainline road-way. This is the result of the proven high per-formance level and extended service life char-acteristics of concrete pipe.

Griffith said that durability is a concern. “Weknow that concrete is good for a longtimeÉmuch longer than anything else.”

Once the project is complete, the under-ground storm drain system will be very diffi-cult to access if repairs or replacement areneeded. “We want the service life of the pipeto exceed the design life of the road,” saidGriffith.

The drainage improvements of T-REX rep-resent no small element of the overall project.

Rapid residential and business growth has oc-curred over the past 40 years since the free-way was first built. Consequently, the existingsystem became woefully undersized and dur-ing the 1990s, flooding was serious enough toclose the highway four times. In July 1998, I-25 had to be closed for several hours as it dis-appeared under four feet of water. Strandedmotorists had to be rescued by boats.

The new drainage system is being designedand built to accommodate a 100-year storm.Many of the existing storm sewers will be relo-cated or removed to make way for the wid-

ened roadways and light rail track bed. Morethan half the drainage budget will be used toreplace the storm sewer in an area that is muchmore prone to flooding known as the Narrows.

The local supplier, Rinker Materials, HydroConduit Division, Denver, Colorado, is provid-ing precast concrete pipe and boxes for theproject. A long-time member of the AmericanConcrete Pipe Association, Rinker Materials isdelivering products to the contractor in a timelymanner to avoid any construction delays. Inall, 42,000 feet (almost 8 miles) of 18-inch to90-inch diameter concrete pipe will be installedon the project. Of this quantity, 1500 feet willbe bored and jacked. In addition, the projectwill require 14,000 feet (just over 2.5 miles) ofprecast boxes in sizes up to 12-foot x 8-foot(span and rise).

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Precast concrete box sections being positioned for installation aspart of Denver’s T-REX Transportation Project.

Rinker Materials, Hydro Conduit Division has beenmanufacturing and supplying reinforced concrete pipefor the Denver area since 1964. The Denver plantmanufactures round RCP and manholes up to 144-inch inside diameter, box culverts, flared end sectionsalong with reinforced concrete elliptical and arch pipe.Florida-based Rinker Materials is a major supplier ofconstruction materials, aggregates, and ready-mixedconcrete throughout the United States. For moreinformation on Rinker Materials, Hydro ConduitDivision, visit www.rinker.com.

Project: Transportation ExpansionProject (T-REX), Denver, Colorado

Partnership: Colorado Department of Transport(CDOT)Regional Transportation District (RTD)Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

Design-Build: Southeast Corridor ConstructorsKiewit Construction Co.,Littleton, ColoradoParsons Transportation Group,Denver, Colorado

Management: T-REX TeamCDOTRTDCarter & Burgess, Inc., Denver Colorado

Quantities: 42,000 feet of 18-inch to90-inch diameter RCP14,000 feet of precast boxes in sizesup to 12-foot x 8-foot (span and rise)

Producer: Rinker Materials, Hydro Conduit DivisionDenver, ColoradoBrian Schram

To meet the aggressive schedule (completionby 2006), new production equipment waspurchased and equipment acquired from otherHydro Conduit plants across the country. ToddMilici, a Hydro Conduit representative, attendsweekly project planning meetings to work outscheduling issues that occasionally arise onsuch a massive project. Geoff Parrington, pro-duction manager and Roger Sable, field coor-dinator also attend scheduling meetings andconduct site visits to assure timely delivery ofproduct.

When buried drainage systems are criticalcomponents of a major transportation project,it is clear that designers prefer to specify con-crete pipe because it has a tested and trueperformance history. On occasion, publicworks officials have unearthed ancient con-crete pipe systems that are still functioning asfirst designed, with the same awe that an ar-cheologist may express when discovering theremains of an historic creature or artifact.

In fact this has occurred on the T-REXproject. Pipe that was installed with the origi-nal construction of I-25 in the late 1950s wasremoved to accommodate additional trafficlanes. The 44 year-old pipe was examined andtested. It was found to be in excellent condi-tion. The excavated pipe, classified as Class Ipipe, was D-load tested and was found to ex-ceed the strength requirements of Class III pipe— and almost met the requirements of ClassIV pipe! No visible signs of deterioration of

the pipe, inside or out, could be seen. Thepipe was clearly ready for another 44 years ofservice — and beyond.

Today’s pre-cast concrete pipe, manufac-tured with modern equipment, better materi-als and under stringent quality control meth-ods, has the ability to last longer than pipemanufactured 50 years ago.

Indeed, the T-REX project demonstratesthat concrete pipe is no dinosaur in the eyesof contemporary transportation, structural andhydraulics engineers. Manufacturers of somedrainage products made of alternate materialsmay wonder if their time is limited, and ex-tinction is a possibility.

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Mining machinery is being lowered into theconstruction pit on 20 Mile Road. The equipment was

used to tunnel over 16,000 feet for 84-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe 40-feet beneath a

major roadway.

FORCE MAINREPLACED

WITHREINFORCED

CONCRETE PIPEINTERCEPTOR

TUNNEL

Three miles of 84-inch diameter gravitysewer has replaced three miles of 24-inch di-ameter force main in Northern Macomb County,Michigan. The new Romeo Arm Interceptor,along with two metering facilities, providessanitary sewage collection for Shelby, Macomband Washington Townships. By replacing theforce main installed in 1974, there is now con-siderably more capacity to service this fast-grow-ing area of the county. With less maintenanceand the elimination of pump power outages,there is now reduced potential for system fail-ure resulting in sewer backups and overflows.The new interceptor, completed in December2002, provides energy savings, lower opera-tional costs, and reduces odors.

Construction began in July 2000 when JayDee Contractors, Inc. of Livonia, Michigan, wasawarded the contract for tunneling 16,108 feetof 84-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe40-feet beneath the heavily traveled GarfieldRoad. It was determined that open cut trencheswould not be feasible due to excessive depths,environmental impact on the roadway, costs

By Robin Woodbury, Director of MarketingPremarc Corporation, Durand, Michigan

(800) 968-2662

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Superior joints and on-time delivery were twofactors that influenced the contractor to selectprecast reinforced concrete pipe for the Romeo ArmInterceptor Tunnel Project.

Excavated spoils being loaded and removed from construction pitfollowing bore for 84-inch reinforced concrete pipe.

of relocating existing utilities and the negativeimpact on residents and businesses in the area.The size of the interceptor was based on theflow requirements, the depth of the existingsewer at 18 Mile Road and the required eleva-tion to meet existing sewers at 21 Mile Road.

Superior joints, competitive prices, as wellas the ability to provide on-time deliveriesprompted Jay Dee Contractors to choose thePremarc Corporation of Durand, Michigan tosupply the reinforced concrete pipe. A majorconcern was the assurance of a soil and water-tight joint for all pipe units. Stormwater inflowand groundwater infiltration had added to thesanitary flows that exceeded the capacity ofthe pump station in the old force main. Grind-ing the groove for the rubber compound gas-ket joint after the pipe has cured is one way toguarantee joint performance. The Premarc Cor-poration is Michigan’s largest precast concretepipe manufacturer and the only manufacturerin Michigan to grind all of its pipe joints forsanitary installations, thereby ensuring a soiland watertight joint.

By using diamond-tipped grinding wheels,Premarc is able to produce exact dimensionaltolerances during the manufacturing of the gas-ket seating surface. In so doing, Premarc en-

sures dimensional control over the pipejoint. Construction crews are then

able to accurately installgaskets and home

the pipe.

Mike DiPonio, Vice President of Jay Dee Con-tractors commented, “The pipe supplied byPremarc Corporation was excellent quality con-crete pipe, and it should provide superior ser-vice to the Macomb area for many decades.”

Construction of the interceptor was no easytask and designers of the sewer (SpaldingDeDecker Associates, Inc.) had to overcomeseveral challenges. The 84-inch diameter sani-tary sewer was constructed by tunnelingthrough difficult soil conditions created by re-treating glaciers at the end of the last ice agesome eight to ten thousand years ago. The gla-ciers left behind deposits of compressed claysoils nearly as hard as concrete, layers of finesands that became charged with water underpressure, pockets of soft sticky clays and occa-sional boulders which had to be blasted for

removal.Underlying bedrock along the line

and grade of the tunnel was a source ofnatural gas deposits that had migrated

into the sand deposits. Thesemethane gas pockets had tobe vented during tunnel con-struction to prevent the pos-sibility of fire or explosion.

In addition to the diffi-cult soil conditions, therewere other significant chal-lenges that confronted the

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84-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe being set inside of the steelrib and wood lagging sets as part of the bore and pipe jackingoperation.

The Premarc Corporation is a leading manufacturerof concrete products for the construction industry.Founded in 1927 in Durand, Michigan by the Marshfamily, the company operated primarily in the Flint andLansing area. In the past 15 years, it has expanded itssales territory with facilities in Cadillac, Traverse City,Grand Rapids, and Clarkston. Premarc’s delivery fleetsupplies the entire lower peninsula of Michigan andextends into Indiana. Premarc’s manufactured prod-uct line includes all shapes and sizes of precast rein-forced concrete sanitary and storm sewer pipes, man-holes, catch basins, wet wells, and pump stations.Bridge products include concrete box culverts, pre-stressed bridge beams and CON/SPAN ¨ bridge sys-tems. For more information, see www.premarc.com.

Project: Romeo Arm Interceptor TunnelOwner: Detroit Water & Sewerage DepartmentDesigner: Spalding DeDecker Associates, Inc.

Rochester Hills, MichiganContractor: Jay Dee Contractors, Inc.

Livonia, MichiganQuantities: 16,108 feet of 84-inch diameter RCP

29 manholes, 36-inch to72-inch interior diameter

Producer: Premarc CorporationDurand, Michigan

designer and contractor. The route of the sewerrequired complex navigation over three draincrossings including the Gloede and Utica Drains.Due to the heavy concentration of utilities oneach side of the five-lane roadway, the deci-sion was taken to align the sewer beneath thepavement. Neighborhood traffic, totaling 40,000to 50,000 vehicles per day, limited construc-tion during rush hours. To minimize the im-pact of construction on local traffic and busi-nesses, tunnel alignment was adjusted to thecenter of Garfield Road. This enabled accessmanholes to be built within the center left-turnlane, which minimized traffic congestion. Thelocation of each individual access manhole wascoordinated with representatives of the localbusinesses so that customer access to thesebusinesses was not impacted. The project stag-ing area had to be relocated from a congestedsite to a more remote location. While this re-duced the impact of the construction activitiesof the project to the general public, it requiredtwo miles of the project to be tunneled down-hill. And this direction is the most challengingto a contractor when tunneling through waterbearing soils.

The $23 million precast concrete sanitaryinterceptor is a buried structure that will ser-vice the residents and businesses in NorthernMacomb County for decades to come. Duringribbon cutting ceremonies on October 1, 2002,

many of the stakeholders from the project werepresent to see their hard work acknowledged.Macomb County Public Works CommissionerAnthony V. Marrocco, who manages the countywastewater disposal district, commended theCity of Detroit, Jay Dee Contracting, SpaldingDeDecker Associates and the Premarc Corpo-ration for doing “an outstanding job on a verychallenging project.” A boulder pulled from thetunnel during construction was presented toMacomb County. On the boulder is a plaquewhich states the sentiments of all parties; “Thisboulder is but one of many impediments thatwere overcome by the determination and team-work of the men and women who built theRomeo Arm Interceptor Tunnel on GarfieldRoad.” The boulder may also be viewed as sym-bolic of the durability and performance of theconcrete pipe that is the interceptor tunnel.

Photos courtesy of Spalding DeDecker Associates, Inc.

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The four-barrel 72-inch RCP culvert and remote-controlled sluice gates replaced the former floodgates tohelp manage flood runoff from “The Big Muddy.”

Northwestern Tennessee took the brunt ofMother Nature’s wrath in 2002, weatheringheavy rains (more than 20 inches above nor-mal through early November), flooding andclose encounters with tornadoes. Despite theharsh and often unpredictable elements, workcontinued on a flood control project along theMississippi River that would help manage floodrunoff and high water elevations of “The BigMuddy.” In addition to controlling local flood-waters, the structures are designed to benefitarea farms that grow large amounts of soy-beans, corn and cotton.

The Graveyard Slough Floodgate & Cul-vert Replacement Project in Tiptonville, Ten-nessee located on the Mississippi River leveenear Reelfoot Lake involved the removal ofold corrugated metal culverts and replacementwith four larger-sized 72-inch diameter ClassIV barrels of reinforced concrete pipe (RCP).A new outlet structure with remote-controlled

RCP Used On Mississippi RiverFlood Control Project

sluice gates replaces the former floodgates. Theproject was designed by the US Army Corpsof Engineers (Memphis District) and contractedto Clifco Construction of Dyersburg, Tennes-see. Clifco contacted the Memphis plant ofHanson Pipe & Products for supply of the re-quired RCP, flared ends and sluice gate.

Despite awful local weather conditions andtight construction schedules, the contractor wasable to complete 2002 requirements on time.The contract stipulated that no constructionactivity could take place between December1 and April 1. It was important that most ofthe work be completed before the end of No-vember. Even with the weather delays, theproject is expected to be completed as sched-uled by late summer 2003. By the 2002 shut-down date, the contractor had installed all ofthe pipe and flared ends, and had backfilledthe installation to grade.

Clifco had to come up with an innovative

By Bob Capkovic, P.E.Hanson Pipe & Products, Memphis, Tenn.

(870) 735-5514

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Four-barrel 72-inch RCP culvertbeing installed while crews form theconcrete diaphragm. The pipe anddiaphragm were later backfilled tocarry Highway 21 across the levee. A steel sled was used to transport

the 72-inch Class IV RCP from thelevee to the pipe zone.

Frequent grade alignments and close joint tolerances help produce“rifle-barrel” smooth results inside the 72-inch reinforced concretepipe culvert.

Project: Graveyard Slough Floodgate& Culvert ReplacementTiptonville, Tennessee

Owner: US Army Corps of EngineersMemphis District

Designer: US Army Corps of EngineersMemphis District

Contractor: Clifco Construction.Dyersburg, Tennessee

Quantities: 800 feet of 72-inch diameterClass IV RCP

Producer: Hanson Pipe & ProductsMemphis, Tennessee

Hanson’s Memphis plant (formerly Choctaw) producesa comprehensive line of precast products includingconcrete pipe, box culverts, manholes, and precastbridges. Hanson Pipe & Products, Inc. is a sophisti-cated, diversified manufacturer of concrete pipe anda variety of supporting products including manholes,drainage structures, box culverts, bridge components,retaining walls and concrete block. Its plant locationsthroughout North America enable the company toserve the most rapidly growing parts of the U.S. andCanada. Hanson is an international building materialscompany. It is one of the world’s largest producers ofconstruction aggregates, and concrete gravity andpressure pipe, precast concrete, and is the leadingmanufacturer of facing bricks in Europe. Seewww.hansonconcreteproducts.com for details.

technique to move the pipe from the point ofoff-load to the construction area and a methodof homing the pipe. The contractor built a steelsled to transport the RCP from the top of thelevee to the pipe zone. Once in the pipe zone,a backhoe equipped with a “J” hook attach-ment pulled the pipe from the sled, positionedthe pipe, and then joined it to the line of pipein one motion. The four lines of culvert pipewere installed while crews constructed a con-

crete diaphragm over the installation for High-way 21, which crosses the four-barrel culvertstructure and runs parallel to the levee.

The contract is valued at $2 million includ-ing movement of 100,000 cubic yards of earthand placement of 9,000 tons of protectiveriprap. A temporary runoff diversion structureis in-service until the new outlet structure iscompleted. This was part of the contract.

“The Big Muddy” and Mother Nature areforces that no man wishes to take on alone.The flood control improvement project com-prised of RCP and other precast concrete prod-ucts reveals the complexity of design and du-rability of materials necessary to curb suchpotentially destructive forces. The use of rein-forced concrete pipe demonstrates its valueas a reliable product for the health, safety, andeconomic prosperity of a community.

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specifiers with published information and salesmaterial that may not have enough detail fordecision-making. Our industry now under-stands the technology of competitive products,as well as their promoters and engineers. Wemust be vigilant in testing competitive prod-ucts to prove performance claims and partici-pate in the development of standards and speci-fications for such products. ACPA’s joint ven-ture with the Portland Cement Association ona North American promotional strategy willcontinue as a major element of its new direc-tion.

This issue of Concrete Pipe News containsthree case studies. The case studies testify tothe trusted performance of concrete pipe. Thelargest and most ambitious design-build trans-portation project in the history of Colorado,known as T-REX, is fulfilling the confidenceof specifiers and designers in precast concretedrainage products. In Tennessee, old corru-gated metal culverts were removed and re-placed with four larger-sized 72-inch barrelsof reinforced concrete pipe as flood controlstructures. And in Michigan, a force main re-placed with concrete pipe has considerablymore capacity, less maintenance and reducedpotential for system failure. All three projectsattest to the preference of using reinforcedconcrete pipe when health and safety of largepopulated areas are at risk.

The Industry Spotlight with Phil Thomp-son demonstrates our commitment to workwith federal and state officials to develop thebest standards in the world, and implementthem through proper product applications.

ACPA is blessed with the involvement ofsome of the nation’s best concrete pipe indus-try professionals on its committees and board.With such guidance and planning by profes-sionals, there is no doubt that the new strat-egy will guide us long into this century.

President’s Reportcontinued from page 3

investigation that was published as “Collapseof the Northbound U.S. Route 51 Bridge Spansover the Hatchie River near Covington, Ten-nessee April 1, 1989,” NTSB/HAR-90/01. Ar-riving at the site on April 3rd, I was able towitness first hand the consequences of a bridgefailure. In this case, four passenger cars andone tractor-trailor plunged into the river. Eightpeople died as a result of their injuries. TheNTSB recommendations from the investigationrefocused FHWA’s scour evaluation programthat was just getting started in response to thecollapse of the Schorarie Creek Bridge on I-90in NY in 1987 due to local scour. I am happyto report that now over 93% of all scour sus-ceptible bridges have been evaluated for scour.

Q: What is the most unusual culvert that youhave worked on?

Thompson: In 1984, the West Virginia DOT re-placed a bridge and a tunnel on I-77 south ofCharleston with a 300-foot fill and an opencut. To drain the Four Mile Fork watershedthat was upstream of this large fill, a 13-foot x12.7-foot cast-in-place concrete arch culvertthat was 1,940 feet long was proposed. Theculvert design discharge, Q

50 of 3,000 cfs, sub-

merged the entrance with a headwater depththat was less than two diameters. The maxi-mum measured discharge of 14,000 cfs cre-ated a headwater pool that was about 75 feetdeep for about 3 hours. The anticipated rapiddrawdown of this large pool required slopeprotection to mitigate the possibility of slopefailure. The estimated cost of the culvert was$3.4 million. An alternate 9.5-foot diameter di-version tunnel was actually awarded for $2.2million that included a slope tapered improvedinlet. Because of debris carried by the streamand the steep slope, the culvert installationincluded a debris fin, a riser and a hook en-ergy dissipator.

Industry Spotlightcontinued from page 5

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In an effort to improve the overall quality of all concrete pipe products, the American Concrete Pipe Association offers an on-going quality assurance program to member and non-member companies. Called the “Quality Cast” Plant Certification Program,the 124-point audit-inspection program covers the inspection of materials, finished products and handling/storage procedures,as well as performance testing and quality control documentation. Plants are certified to provide storm sewer and culvert pipeor under a combined sanitary sewer, storm sewer and culvert pipe program. The following plants are currently certified underACPA’s Quality Cast Certification Program:

“Quality Cast” Certified Plants

Storm Sewer and Culvert Pipe

• Americast-Pipe Division, Inc., Charleston, S.C. - Bill Gary

• Atlantic Concrete Pipe, San Juan, P.R. - Miguel Ruiz

• Boughton’s Precast, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. - Rodney Boughton

• California Concrete Pipe (Oldcastle), Stockton, Calif. - Qing Lian Gao

• Carder Concrete Products, Littleton, Colo. - Tom Walters

• Carder Concrete Products, Colorado Springs, Colo. - Bruce Spatz

• Cayuga Concrete Pipe Company (Oldcastle, Inc.), Croydon, Pa. - Allen Reed

• Cayuga Concrete Pipe Company (Oldcastle, Inc.), New Britain, Pa. - Jim Savana

• Elk River Concrete Products (Cretex), Billings, Mont. - Milton Tollefsrud

• Elk River Concrete Products (Cretex) Helena, Mont. - Robert Ganter

• Geneva Pipe Company, Hurricane, Utah - Brent Field

• Grand Junction Concrete, Grand Junction, Colo. - Ben Burton

• Kerr Concrete Pipe Company (Oldcastle, Inc.), Hammonton, N.J. - Bob Berger

• Kerr Concrete Pipe Company (Oldcastle, Inc.), Farmingdale, N.J. - Scott McVicker

• NC Products (Oldcastle, Inc.), Raleigh, N.C. - Mark Sawyer

• Riverton Concrete Products Company (Cretex), Riverton, Wyo. - Butch Miller

• Sherman Concrete, Savannah, Ga. - Tom Yates

• Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries, Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn. - Earl Knox

• Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries, Inc., Franklin, Tenn. - Roy Webb

• Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries, Inc.,Lexington, Kentucky - Darrel Boone

• South Dakota Concrete Products (Cretex),Rapid City, South Dakota - Jeff Ulrich

• South Dakota Concrete Products (Cretex),Mitchell, South Dakota - Andy Fuhrman

Sanitary Sewer, Storm Sewer and Culvert Pipe

• Amcor Precast (Oldcastle, Inc.), Nampa, Idaho - Mike Burke

• Amcor Precast (Oldcastle, Inc.) Ogden, Utah - Tim Wayment

• Elk River Concrete Products (Cretex), Elk River, Minn. - Bryan Olson

• Elk River Concrete Products (Cretex), Shakopee, Minn. - Steve Forslund

• Geneva Pipe Company, Orem, Utah - Fred Klug

• Kansas City Concrete Pipe Co. (Cretex), Shawnee, Kans. - Rich Allison

• NC Products (Oldcastle, Inc.), Fayetteville, N.C. - Preston McIntosh

• Ocean Construction Supplies Limited (Inland Pipe), Vancouver, B.C., Canada - Ron Boyes

• Amcor Precast Company (Oldcastle, Inc.), Ogden, Utah - J. P. Connoley

• Rinker Materials-Hydro Conduit Division, Denver, Colo. - Ed Anderson

• Waukesha Concrete Products Company (Cretex), Waukesha, Wis. - Jay Rhyner

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American Concrete Pipe Association222 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 641

Irving, TX 75039-5423

www.concrete-pipe.org

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US POSTAGE PAIDDALLAS, TX

PERMIT NO 1883

The American Concrete Pipe Association’s website,www.concrete-pipe.org, continues to be a primary me-dium to provide consultants, engineers, public officialsand other specifiers of drainage pipe products, with up-to-date information on precast concrete pipe products.The website also serves as a “gateway” to access mem-ber locations, related associations – even other DOTwebsites. From Design Data documents to Fill HeightTables to installation guidelines, the website provides awealth of useful information.

During the past 12 months, the Association’s websiterecorded more than 2.745 million “hits.” While this num-ber may seem impressive, a better measure of websiteusefulness is recorded by “visits.” In 2002, the ACPAwebsite was visited by over 55,700 guests. A “visit” is

ACPA’S WEB SITE PROVIDES WEALTH OF ON-LINE INFORMATIONconsidered a specific computer (with IP address) arriv-ing at the home page, goes to at least one step furtherinto the site, leaves the site and then returns 24 hourslater. These visitors accessed over 200,000 pages of con-tents and downloaded over 21 Gb of files and records.Over 900 copies of PipePac 2000 were downloaded fromwww.concrete-pipe.org, at no charge. Another 400 visi-tors requested specific information or consultation fromACPA staff or Association members.

What does this mean to you? That www.concrete-pipe.org is robust, active and informative. If you don’thave it set as a “favorite” on your browser, you might notbe taking advantage of all the resources available to youand your firm. Take a look at www.concrete-pipe.org to-day – you’ll want to visit often!

no about it –no about it – concrete pipe is no dinosaur! · river flood control project bones...

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