By: Richard Edgar
Hancock Concrete Products LLC
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Photo: courtesy of Hancock Concrete
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Precast Concrete structures provide for just-in-time delivery. Photo: courtesy of Hancock
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Photo: courtesy of Hancock Concrete
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Photo: courtesy of Taylor Amiot, AE2S.
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Concrete Box Culvert provides reduced construction costs with accelerated precast construction. Photo: courtesy of Hancock Concrete.
Concrete Box Culvert provides reduced construction costs with accelerated precast construction. Photo: courtesy of Hancock Concrete.
The new 14-foot x 14-foot dual precast concrete box culvert on Grand Forks County, ND BRO-0018 (035) replaced a wooden bridge, one of approximately 500+ bridges that are county owned. The new structure raised the existing road elevation to ensure that traffic will not be interrupted from a backed-up river during Red River Valley flooding.
Sections for the precast box culvert were manufactured ahead of time at the Hancock Concrete facility in Hancock, MN, thus reducing the amount of curing time needed at the job site. The actual installation of the box culvert was completed in just a matter of days while additional time was needed for backfilling and raising of the grade to finish the project.
The county was able to reclaim the wood deck and steel beams from the old wood structure for use in the repair of other bridges, thereby saving the county thousands of dollars in resources.
The new culvert design accommodated a road widening project that provides:
- elimination of guard rails reducing risk to farm equipment
- elimination of snow trap from guard rails
- minimum maintenance
- improved safety
- cost effective design
- accommodation of future paved road
- a long service life
- resistant to acidic soil
- accelerated construction method
Factors making precast concrete box culverts the product of choice were:
- Less exposure to risk
- High water tables
- Product produced in controlled environment
- Qcast Certification
- Less time to install meant less susceptibility to weather
- Able to self-perform
- Easier to schedule crews and crane
- Better time control of project
- Lower labor cost
- Less per diem cost
- Can use common labor
Project Notes
Project Name: ND-Job No. 3 SS-SIOB-7-804
Owner: Grand Forks County
Engineer: AE2S
Contractor: On the Level Construction
Precast Concrete Box Producer: Hancock Concrete
