Technical Description:
- Product: ULTRA FLO® Aluminized
- Diameter: 72-inch
- Length: 20 LF (each) 60 Total LF
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The existing culverts along a county road in Brazos, Texas had reached the end of their design life and needed replacement. During a rain event, the road would flood, and flow was constantly over-topping this section of the road. Brazos County Road and Bridge Department knew that something must be done to address this hazardous condition and improve the Wickson Creek Relief Channel culverts during higher storm flow events.
Wickson Creek is a major tributary of the Navasota River with a drainage basin serving eastern Brazos County of approximately 75 square miles.
Elmo Weedon serves as a major collector roadway in eastern Brazos County with an average daily traffic (ADT) of 4,000 vehicles per day (VPD) making it the most heavily trafficked roadway in Brazos County. Elmo Weedon Road is also a primary school bus route and serves a nearby sand and gravel pit mine with a significant heavy truck hauling operation.
While the main channel of Wickson Creek is served by a 30’ span box beam bridge structure, the flood plain of Wickson Creek is 0.75 miles wide at Elmo Weedon Road and the numerous relief channel culverts must operate optimally to prevent the road from overtopping from a 10 year storm event. Overtopping can be expecting with higher flow events.
There were several important items that the County considered in identifying the best solution for these improvements. They needed something that was durable and offered a lower installed cost while meeting the structural integrity required.
They reached out to Contech Engineered Solution to identify a solution that would address this issue. After reviewing several options, they selected a 74-inch diameter aluminized ULTRA FLO® culvert to replace the failing culverts currently in place. The county was able to replace the culvert while maintaining the proper height of cover in line with the existing roadway. ULTRA FLO was also able to handle the 37’ height of cover (HOC) while alternative reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) can only handle 17’ HOC in Class III and HDPE is limited to 13’ HOC.
Brazos County, commented, “ULTRA FLO checked all of the boxes for us. Its light weight allowed for County forces to install the ULTRA FLO with existing labor and equipment, while its structural integrity and durability meant that this would be a long-lasting repair that would hold up to the traffic and load demands on the roadway.”
The culvert was installed through an open-cut and replace method with an excavator and plate compactor. The project was hugely successful, and the County has continued to use ULTRA FLO on subsequent projects.
Technical Description:
- Product: ULTRA FLO® Aluminized
- Diameter: 72-inch
- Length: 20 LF (each) 60 Total LF
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