Located in Haslet, Texas, the BNSF Railway Alliance Intermodal Facility (IMF) was in need of an expansion. With noticeably increasing demands on the facility as daily load intakes continued to rise, BNSF Railway knew an improvement was needed to address these concerns.
They put together a proposal that included additional lines and expansions to the existing tracklines. Not only would this proposal expand and improve the existing tracklines, but the additional lines would provide improved capabilities allowing the Alliance IMF to handle additional traffic through the facility. Once the proposal was finalized, it was released for bidding opportunities. Part of these plans also included several storm sewer systems to handle the increased surface storm drainage anticipated as a result of the facility improvements.
The engineer of record (EOR), HDR Engineering, worked directly with Contech Engineered Solutions to identify the best solution for the storm sewer systems that would be needed. Given the complexity of the site, two different systems were specified.
The winning bidder, SEMA Construction, then utilized the multi-product storm sewer solution provided by Contech Engineered Solutions as specified on the original plans for the expansions to the facility. Fortunately, Contech offers a robust family of products and was able to help identify the right solutions to incorporate onto the site that were both efficient and cost-effective.
The first storm sewer system installed on site is one of the most hydraulically efficient storm sewer systems available – ALT2 ULTRA FLO®, commonly known as Aluminized Type 2 Spiral Rib Pipe. The system included 30” to 60” diameter pipes and several multiple barrel systems and crossings. Its unique profile and smooth interior surface makes ULTRA FLO capable of a Manning’s “n” of 0.012 and is ideal for storm sewer applications.
Due to the high fill in one particular area, a secondary alternative was also needed. For this system, Smooth Cor™ double wall corrugated steel pipe (CSP) was selected. Smooth Cor offers a hydraulically smooth steel liner coated with polymer coating. This combination makes Smooth Cor pipe the economical and performance alternative to reinforced concrete pipe in difficult situations such as weak soils, poor subsurface drainage conditions, steep slopes, and high fills.
Jeffrey Estes, Manager of Engineering at BNSF Railway, commented, “With Contech expertise and professionalism, we have successfully designed and built multiple systems on our Alliance Expansion projects.”