CORRUGATED PIPE | PROCESSING
Draining matters: corrugated pipe
Recent advances in corrugated pipe include additives to boost the use of recyclate, a conical extruder for faster production and PP drainage pipe for a new $800m bridge
Corrugated pipe comes in many forms – from modest conduit pipe to protect electrical cables to huge drainage pipes for infrastructure projects. One producer of the latter is Advanced Drainage
Systems (ADS) – which was a winner in this year’s PPI awards for its part in the construction of the new Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida. The bridge has more than 2.6 million sq ft of deck
area, and cost US$875 m. Originally built as a single, four-lane, three-mile span in 1960, the new bridge has two separate roadways – with each having four general purpose lanes and two express lanes. One of the biggest challenges in the design was a stormwater drainage system for the bridge’s causeways. The area was flat and grades needed to be changed for all drainage systems. HP Storm polypropylene pipe from ADS was used as part of a drainage system to prevent erosion of low-lying areas leading up to the causeways. It provided the strength and stiffness required after fill
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material was added to Tampa Bay to create a wider causeway. The pipe’s strength and premium joints were also critical, because the differences in elevation meant that variable height barriers were required. The pipe was installed close to the wall, so had to minimise the chance of leaks – which could cause erosion and affect the walls’ stability. In addition, Duraslot slotted drainage pipe was used between the express and general-use traffic lanes to handle stormwater runoff. This, in turn, prevents hydroplaning. Duraslot is made from N-12 pipe – comprising HDPE with an aluminium slot mounted on top. Both types of pipe had to be resilient to saltwa- ter and not corrode in this aggressive environment. Nearly 10,000 feet of HP Storm PP pipe – of various diameters – and more than 700 ft of 12in diameter HDPE slotted surface trench drain were used. The ADS pipe provided the specified flow rates, had high structural integrity and met the 100-year
Main image: ADS provided more than 10,000 ft of HP Storm PP pipe for a new bridge in Florida
Summer 2025 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 37
IMAGE: PPI
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