Cline Avenue Water Main Lining Project - Highland, IN
The Town of Highland experienced a significant number of water main breaks on a 1400 foot long section of 8-inch cast iron main located below the 10-inch thick concrete pavement of State Road 2 (Cline Avenue). Seven breaks in the 1980's and 1990's were all circumferential cracks (indicating settlement as a primary cause) and were also difficult and costly to repair.
After a 1998 break resulted in $11,000 worth of damage to a nearby home, NIES Engineering, Inc. was retained to evaluate alternatives for repair or replacement. Based on site-specific considerations such as concrete pavement and curb replacement costs, limited available right-of-way, and location of nearby utilities, a trenchless pipe lining system was recommended.
The liner system is supplied by Insituform Technologies, Inc., and is known as Thermopipe. The product is a woven polyester tube jacket that is factory impregnated with polyethylene, formed into a C shape, pulled into the water main to be lined and re-rounded with air and steam to provide a close fit to the host pipe. The primary advantages of Thermopipe are:
- Does not bond chemically to the host pipe, providing greater resistance to settlement cracking and reducing host pipe cleaning requirements.
- Presents a thin, smooth tube liner that typically does not reduce the hydraulic carrying capacity of the water main
- Is structurally non-dependent on the host pipe, having a predicted long term burst strength of 328psi and a continuous working pressure rating of 150psi.
The lining system, installed in the summer of 1999, has not had a water main break since installation.
Key Points
- Diagnose Problems
- Cost-Effective Solution
- Efficient Improvements