A Revolutionary Manhole Solution in Logan, Utah
Rare is the community who does not suffer from adverse public reaction and the related safety concerns sinking or shifting manholes pose to the driving public. Rarer still is the community who has solved this problem, not only for the short term but for years to come.
Nestled along Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range, Logan, home to Utah State University, experiences all of the havoc weather can inflict on a community's street and drainage systems. The city has more than 6,100 manholes to maintain in a roadway system with terrain ranging from perfectly flat to hills with more than 20 degree inclines. While heaving and sinking is an ever-present maintenance concern, matching shifting grade changes and keeping pace with scheduled resurfacing projects are additional practical challenges. Add it all up and the city's maintenance folks face impossible odds. Sound familiar? Less than two years ago, Logan's Water/Waste Water Department discovered the adjustable manhole cover technology developed by Precision Cover Systems, Inc., and a solution was within their grasp.
With some practical experience under their belt, The City of Logan was very willing to share their adjustable manhole cover experiences by co-hosting with the Utah and Florida LTAP Centers, a national Demonstration Showcase at their Service Center Complex on April 29, 2003. Mayor Doug Thompson welcomed everyone and then Dee Hadfield with the Utah Technology Transfer Center who moderated the Showcase introduced Jay Curtis, Waste Water Crew Chief for the City of Logan. Jay's presentation provided background on the city's former manhole maintenance program including a detailed cost/benefit comparison between the old process and this new technology. For new installations less equipment is required - no air compressor, jackhammer and street saw - and with material and labor costs substantially reduced, two crew members can install - meaningful cost savings were immediately apparent. This new system provides an easy and efficient method for adjusting to grade and slope as well as height. Another key feature, this new cover system provides for height adjustments in .25 inch increments up to 2.75 inches. This allows for two future overlays before additional hardware is required, quite possibly 20 to 30 years in the future. Now, with this new system, city fathers can depend on cost savings and citizen satisfaction for years to come. The city is installing 40 more adjustable manhole cover systems this year.
Once Curtis acquainted everyone with the city's manhole situation and the cost benefit potential of this new technology, Chris Sondrup, President of Precision Cover Systems, Inc., explained the adjustable manhole cover system in detail and participants had an opportunity to review the system up close before moving on to the real-time field installation. He also called attention to the fact that with this system, shimming with rocks or bricks, a major cause of post installation shifting, is eliminated in almost every case.
Following lunch everyone boarded buses for guided site visits of past installations and the real-time field installation. The Showcase wrapped up with everyone returning to the Logan Service Center complex for open discussion, a review of this technology and its field application potential.All showcase handout material is available on loan from the Showcase Coordinating Center at the Florida LTAP Center, University of Florida, PO Box 116587, Gainesville, FL 32611-6587. You may order by phone: 325.392.2371 ext. 237 or Fax: 352.392.3224.
