Lakeview Estates, a high-end subdivision, sits just outside the city of Searcy in White County, Ark. One county road leads into and out of the small neighborhood. Underneath that road run nine culverts, designed to mitigate storm water and overflow from the nearby lake. Each of those culverts was rusting and on the verge of collapse.
County officials assumed their only option was to dig up and replace the failing culverts, which would have shut down the sole entry and exit to Lakeview Estates for days. County Judge Michael Lincoln said that would have been a disaster: “People wouldn’t be able to get to work or get their kids to school. Crews couldn’t respond to emergencies.”
Lincoln turned to Snap-Tite representative Scott Brignac, who was able to offer another solution. Snap-Tite technology rehabs failing culverts without the need to remove the deteriorating pipe. The pipe is made from lightweight, high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
Five of the nine culverts were oval-shaped corrugated metal pipe (CMP) measuring 29 in. by 42 in. by 40 ft long. Those were relined with 24-in. HDPE Snap-Tite pipe. Two culverts were oval-shaped CMP measuring 20 in. by 28 in. by 50 ft long and were relined with 18-in. round pipe. One culvert was a 24-in. round 40-ft CMP, which was relined with an 18-in. pipe. The last culvert was a 36-in. round 40-ft CMP that was relined with a 28-in. pipe.
“By rehabbing the culverts, the project cost about a fifth of what it would have been to dig and replace the culverts, and traffic was not interrupted at all during the process, which is invaluable,” Lincoln said.
White County saved thousands of dollars, cut repair time and effort, and kept a crucial road open to traffic with pipe that will last for decades.
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