Manhole Risers Help Growing Community Maintain Infrastructure

A case study out of Cookville, Tennessee, looks at the practical use and benefits of manhole risers in real-world infrastructure management

Manhole Risers Help Growing Community Maintain Infrastructure

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Problem: Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Cookeville (population 35,000) is the largest of Tennessee’s 20 “micropolitan areas,” defined as “smaller cities which function as significant regional economic hubs.” So, Cookeville is “officially” a growing town in a bustling region, and the city’s Public Works and Water and Sewer Departments feel pressure to maintain infrastructure efficiently and cost-effectively.

Solution: One way they do this is by using American Highway Products Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Risers when raising manholes to grade. The city began using these particular adjustable risers in 1999 and since then has ordered and installed more than 2,000. “I’ve been here 13 years as a foreman and now purchasing officer in the Water and Sewer Department, and in all that time the American Highway Products riser is the only riser we’ve ever used here,” says purchasing officer Nate Beaty. “In my time installing and now ordering them, I don’t know of any failures or returns. When we install them right, they don’t even rattle.”

Result: Riser installation is simple; it usually takes one person 5 to 10 minutes to clean out the original rim with a wire brush, set in the lightweight riser (a shaped ring of durable galvanized steel) and adjust the turnbuckle with a screwdriver used as a lever — this applies thousands of pounds of force and seats the riser tightly and permanently. “We never needed a class; it’s an easy skill to pass on,” says Beaty. “And like I say, no failures!” 888-272-2397; www.ahp1.com



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