Contractors Discuss Manhole Rehab

Maintaining the integrity of manholes is a crucial component of sewer system health. The manhole rehabilitation market is expected to grow steadily in the coming years, as Industry reports show that a large portion of manholes in United States need attention.

John Manijak, business development manager at Hoerr Construction, highlighted a 2021 assessment of U.S. infrastructure that shows that aging sewer systems are at the root of manhole integrity concerns.

“America’s infrastructure received an overall grade of C- from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2021,” Manijak says. “Looking specifically at the sewer industry, we really must look at the age of our systems. America’s housing development really blossomed starting in the 1950s and continuing into the 1980s as the baby boomer generation grew up and needed places to live, and the sewer systems were the first to be installed. This places the age of most of our systems somewhere between 40 and 75 years.”

Manijak adds that the primary focus of sewer rehabilitation has been on the mainline pipes using cured-In-place pipelining (CIPP), but he says manhole rehabilitation has often been a second thought.

“Given that the main material used in manholes is concrete, whether it is a precast structure or used as a binder between brick/blocks, and the average lifespan of Portland Cements is around 50-100 years, it places most of our manholes in dire need of rehabilitation,” Manijak says.

HK Solutions Group business development director John Bluntach points to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report that indicates the need to address manhole integrity.