Precast Culvert Restores Roadway After Failed Corrugated Metal Pipe Opens Sinkhole

Hanson Pipe & Precast’s San Antonio facility will provide three precast box culverts to salvage a Garden Ridge, Texas, roadway after failure of five deteriorating

Hanson Pipe & Precast’s San Antonio facility will provide three precast box culverts to salvage a Garden Ridge, Texas, roadway after failure of five deteriorating corrugated metal pipes caused a 5-ft. sinkhole. Durability was a prime factor in the selection of precast components: by contrast to the 25-year service life typical of metal pipe, concrete pipe’s life expectancy has been rated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rates at 70 to 100 years.

Additionally, using precast units accommodates greater water flow without additional backfill by allowing roadway construction directly on top of the box culverts. A larger opening is provided thereby for water to pass under the roadway without having to raise the surface elevation.

The roadway will remain closed until construction is completed in early fall. Excavation of the failed culverts will be undertaken by the contractor as Hanson produces replacement boxes. Upon removal of the metal pipe, the precast culverts will be placed; and, subsequent backfilling will allow the roadway to be quickly reopened.

Our precast concrete box culverts provide infrastructure solutions fabricated in a quality-controlled environment, resulting in structurally accurate, low-maintenance and sustainable products, affirms Hanson Building Products West Senior Vice President Mark Carpenter.