The Riverhead Highway Department recently completed an underground pipe repair without opening the road above.
The New Jersey-based National Water Main Cleaning Company repaired a pipe under Fanning Street in Riverhead that connects a pond to a creek. The repair was carried out using an innovative fiberglass pipe lining technology developed in Germany, said Ralph Sergio of the National Water Main Cleaning Company. The underground pipe is lined with fiberglass material that is cured with ultraviolet light.
The end result is an underground pipe that is like new without the expense and headache of digging and replacing an existing pipe, Sergio said.
The pipe under Fanning Street that connects a pond to a stream. Photo: Peter Blasl
The Fanning Street Project, which closed on August 21 at a cost of about $ 15,000, was a kind of demonstration project for Highway Superintendent George Woodson.
“I wanted to try because all the pipes in town are probably 30 years old or older,” said Woodson. “We’re starting to look into the older parts of the drainage system,” he said. “I try to be proactive.” When underground pipes leak, the asphalt above can eventually collapse.
The contractor examines and tests the inside of drainage pipes using instruments and small video cameras located in the underground pipes. The instruments are inserted into the drainage pipes through rain gutters.
Woodson said avoiding street digs was a big deal, especially in the downtown streets. Not only will it avoid road closures that are required when pipes need to be physically excavated and replaced, but it will also avoid the risk of damaging other underground utilities beneath the asphalt. This is a particular problem in the city center, where water pipes, power and gas lines, telephone lines, and drains share a narrow street bed. The location of utilities, many of which were set up decades ago, is often poorly mapped, Woodson said.
“That’s why even the National Grid hit one of their own gas pipelines downtown about five years ago,” Woodson said.
Workers had to drain the underground pipe before the fiberglass lining material could be installed. Photo: Peter Blasl
Repairing UV cured fiberglass liners is strong and safer and faster to do, Woodson said. The liner is only about an inch thick, so it won’t affect the functionality of the pipe, he said.
The highway supervisor said he plans to have the New Jersey contractor conduct inspections of drainage systems with cameras in neighborhoods where the new technology would be most useful for repairs.
“I think we’re the first Long Island community to take advantage of this,” said Woodson.
The technology can also be used to repair sewer pipes, he said.
Support local journalism.
The survival of quality local journalism depends more than ever on your support. Our community is facing unprecedented economic disruption and the future of many small businesses, including our own, is threatened. It takes time and resources to provide this service. We are a small family business and we will do everything in our power to keep it going. But today, more than ever, we will need your support to continue. Support RiverheadLOCAL today. You rely on us to stay tuned and we rely on you to make our work possible.
Comments are closed.