THE CHALLENGE
Underneath FM 43, a very busy Texas highway just outside of Corpus Christi, a trio of 8' wide, 3' tall, and 60' long concrete box culverts had a serious issue: loss of structural integrity.
A biennial culvert condition assessment conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) found severe concrete spalling, an abundance of exposed rebar, and multiple cracks throughout each of the culverts.
Situated just two feet beneath the road surface, the culverts' deteriorated condition put them at risk of total collapse. In this situation, traditional dig-and-replace methods were avoided due to the inability to close the road. TxDot made the decision to use SprayWall, a 100% trenchless solution to structurally rehabilitate the culverts.
THE SOLUTION
Since the combined span of these culverts measures greater than 20 feet, they are considered a "Bridge Class" structure, which invokes the more stringent LRFD Bridge Design requirements for repair. SprayWall overwhelmingly meets those requirements. SprayWall is a fast-curing ultra-high build polyurethane lining system manufactured by Sprayroq. It has been designed to restore the load-bearing capacity of compromised culverts, offering an environmentally friendly structural solution. This project required an engineered applied thickness of 550 mils to ensure compliance with stringent load and stress design parameters that reinforced the culvert's capacity to manage structural demands.
Using a trenchless solution has its advantages; the ability to avoid traffic-disrupting lane closures and costly detours while keeping the roadway accessible and minimizing public inconvenience. In this case, the use of traffic control was limited to "advanced warning" signage, and the traveling public was never impacted. Another advantage is construction duration. This project was completed in just over a month.
Fuquay's engineering expertise and innovative application of the SprayWall lining system restored the box culverts to their original profile, maintained stormwater capacities, and restored their structural integrity. It also set a precedent for advanced structural rehabilitation with a safe, efficient, and reliable solution for safeguarding essential stormwater infrastructure while keeping vital roadways open and fully operational.
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