Void Fill on Q Street
Challenge
The Elkhorn River in Western Douglas County did its share of damage, washing away chunks of Q Street and the sub-base that supported a 2-year-old bridge at 245th Street. Four large voids were identified and required filling before the bridge and approach experienced further damage and could be used, safely. One of the voids measured 44' x 30' x 5' and you could see clear under the road to the other side.
The Douglas County Nebraska engineers scrambled to find a solution and turned to Thrasher. They were under a serious time crunch as communities and individuals were cut off from evacuation routes due to the destruction. They were hopeful that Thrasher could fill the voids with their PolyLevel polyurethane product. It would have been an expensive option, and would have taken tens of thousands of pounds of Poly to accomplish the job. Plus, the repair would need to stand up to the heavy traffic of large trucks that needed to roll on that section of road.
Solution
The Thrasher team proposed a solution in the form of Low-Density Cellular Concrete or LDCC. It more than met strength requirement to stand up to the traffic and was less than half the cost of a Poly product. The combination of slurry (cement mix minus the typical aggregate) plus “foam bubbles” creates a light but strong material capable of delivering high compressive strength. The crew of three Thrasher employees assembled forms around the voided areas, utilizing their knowledge and skill to tighten up the construction. More than 200 yards of LDCC was required and just 2 days from start to finish to complete the job.
Results:
Matt Cabrera, General Manager of Thrasher's commercial division, sums it up, “We're proud of that job on a number of levels. We're always happy to support the community. And, we were able to propose the right fix for the situation – a product that exceeded their strength requirement by 300% - all delivered on time and under budget. It's a testament to the professionalism of Thrasher and the respect we've earned in the commercial community.”
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