Sugar Hill officials are moving ahead with a plan to appropriate $142,200 to repair three failing culverts around town, but not by the traditional method of digging up the pipes and replacing them.
Instead, the pipes will be fixed with a "liner" that forms another reinforcing layer to the pipes, a much more minimally-invasive means of repairing an aging pipe than pulling it out of the ground, said Paul Radford, city manager.
"Just think of it like a sock ... a big giant sock," said Radford in an interview with AccessWDUN.
"It's got this gel that's around the outside of the sock. You push it through the pipe, and then you basically turn it inside out. And it still adheres to the outside of the sock."
Then, contractors seal the pipe at both ends and blow hot air through it, causing the "sock" to expand and adhere to the inside of the pipe.
The three culverts getting this treatment all run underneath city roadways — Deep Creek Drive, Eagle Close Lane and Secret Cove Lane — and would require special entrances to be constructed to nearby neighborhoods if contractors had to dig up the pipes to reach them.
"Some of these subdivisions only have one entry point. So this is a good way of repairing the pipe without having to interrupt people's travel schedules," said Radford.
The pipe liners come with a 50-year warranty, according to city documents.
