Sinkhole problem solved at airport
Problem
Failing stormwater drainage pipe caused sinkholes along the outer edge of the main runway at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in Alabama. Video inspection inside showed that sediment was infiltrating through the separation of some concrete pipe joints and, to a greater degree, through failed mortar joints in the brick inlet structures.
Solution
To save the runway and prevent damage to aircraft, the cause of the sinkholes, Class III reinforced concrete pipe, was replaced with polypropylene pipe with gasketed joints. More than 3,700 feet of polypropylene pipe — HP Storm and SaniTite HP — from Advanced Drainage Systems was installed in diameters ranging from 24 to 48 inches in trenches with up to 13 feet of cover. The majority of the pipe was dual-wall. At locations where the pipe connected into an inlet structure, a double-gasket connection was made from the dual-walled HP Storm pipe to a section of triple-walled SaniTite HP pipe.
RESULT Designed for gravity-flow drainage applications, the ADS pipe provided the required strength, stiffness and joint performance. The dual-wall and triple-wall profile design meets or exceeds ASTM F2881 or F2764 and AASHTO M330 and is approved by the Army Corps of Engineers for storm drainage applications. It also meets FAA specification D-701. The pipe was selected and approved also because of its watertight connections that will prevent exfiltration, which destroyed the concrete pipe and its mortared joints that caused the sinkholes. 800-821-6710; www.ads-pipe.com
