County tests new bridge repair

Dec. 30—Lauderdale County officers will be paying shut awareness to a a short while ago repaired bridge to see whether or not or not a new substance retains up to the county’s expectations.

In a perform session Thursday, Road Supervisor Hurry Mayatt explained to supervisors an crisis fix on Harper Road bridge utilized a new increasing polyfoam to fill a void made by erosion.

The foam, he claimed, would be a good correct for a number of other bridges in the course of the county if it can maintain up to weather and the stresses of every day visitors.

“I hope that we can use this during the county,” he mentioned. “It is surely a lot considerably less invasive, the place as the old way of correcting these points would be to essentially dig up in front of your abutment or endcap and back again fill. It is just incredibly painstaking doing it that way.”

Mayatt claimed the growing foam is identical to foam goods employed to carry concrete slabs and amount housing foundations. Holes were drilled in the road, he claimed, and the foam was pumped in to fill the void beneath.

At a price to the county of $14,200, County Administrator Chris Lafferty said the foam was also drastically fewer high priced than common fixes. The full charge for the maintenance, he mentioned, was significantly less than the rate of asphalt for repaving if the county had opted to dig down to fill the void.

Richmond Alexander, of Engineering Furthermore, which serves as the county engineer, stated the Harper Highway bridge essential repair following a void made the place the street and bridge fulfill. By drilling down through the pavement, he explained the county was equipped to fill the void without the need of obtaining to dig up the street.

Mayatt mentioned Harper Road is a excellent prospect for screening the foam simply because the slope of banking institutions built it tough to repair the erosion issue by standard suggests. Any product the county put, he mentioned, very likely would not remain.

“With the slope that it truly is on, it can be quite complicated to put any kind of substance down there,” he said.

Supervisor Josh Todd recommended Alexander and Mayatt for imagining exterior the box and attempting new options. If the foam holds up, he mentioned, the county could help you save a lot of time and dollars on bridge repairs.

Alexander claimed he and Mayatt would watch the bridge more than the coming months to see how the foam materials held up to the components and visitors. If there were no challenges, the county could glance to insert the foam to its arsenal of instruments for servicing and repairs.

“We are heading to watch it around the next very little little bit to see how it reacts, in particular to winter season,” he claimed.