We were initially contacted by our client to quote for the supply of Polyethylene PN10 pipe & fittings, however, after discussions with the client and an explanation of our fabrication capabilities, the quote expanded to include the fabrication of a culvert. Being able to communicate with one company for both the culvert fabrication and supply, was a major contributing factor for the client awarding to project to Fusion.

What is a culvert?

Culverts are most commonly used to divert water—and debris carried by water—underneath roads and other passages of transport. They come in a variety of shapes and materials depending on space restrictions (such as a roadways embankment height) and the application.

Challenges

For this project, the client supplied the design and requested a black HDPE culvert with circular openings, transitioning into a rectangular centre for fitting underneath an existing concrete culvert. The stiffness of HDPE, the number of braces in the design and the reinforcement of the conversion joints, ensured our fabrication team were in for a few challenges. It was also critical to fabricate a smooth transition from the culvert’s circular ends into the rectangular centre, ensuring minimal obstruction to water flow.