Culvert Rehab Success in Pennsylvania

West Goshen Township in Pennsylvania is a beautiful suburban town outside of Philadelphia. The township has a neighborhood in town called Knollwood Drive, which is around 25 homes at the end of a cul-de-sac. Part of the local drainage system included a large-diameter corrugated steel pipe arch culvert.

What Was the Problem?

The culvert in question ran underneath Knollwood Drive. Traditional open-cut replacement methods would have meant preventing resident and emergency vehicle access to the neighborhood, but also disturbing other utilities: gas, water and sewer. The corrugated metal pipe arch was in a severely deteriorated condition. The invert was corroded and contained large section loss. The geometry of the culvert throughout the length of the culvert was also very misshapen, in fact the pipe haunches has heaved leaving a very uneven invert profile.

Shape Challenges

The engineer and the contractor had to invest some decent energies into surveying the host pipe geometry in the various corner radii.

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As you can see in the photos, several different cross sections needed to be pieced together to figure out what the best liner shape would be. Channeline’s short lay length segments and customizable manufacturing process helped with the insertion of the culvert liner as it made its way through the host pipe.

What Was the Solution?

The host pipe was 134 lf of estimated 120-in. x 78-in. pipe arch. As the host culvert contained some challenging geometries, it was difficult to determine what type of liner would have been best. Due to its customizability, the Channeline International Structural GRP Lining System was selected by the Township and the engineer. Low density cellular concrete was pumped into the annular space.

A handful of solutions were proposed to the town and to the engineer during the first design meeting. Solutions included: lining with pipe arch corrugated metal, lining with a round pipe, and lining with Channeline pipe arch. Ultimately, Channeline offered superior hydraulics with maximum open waterway area and manning’s coefficient.

A.J. Jurich Inc. was the low bidder and consequently selected as the general contractor for the project. DLVEWS Inc. (Channeline’s sales agent for the Northeast) and Andy Sherwin of Channeline International worked hand-in-hand with Jurich to ensure the liner went together smoothly. CJGEO was the selected subcontractor for grouting of the annular space.

“It is so good to see Channeline’s customization be utilized to it’s fullest. The pipe arch solution that Don and Carroll Engineering came up with solves a very challenging problem,” said Andy Sherwin, technical sales director at Channeline International. “This really showcases the advantages or ‘Hand Layup’ manually built GRP Lining solution. Channeline is really excited to have worked with DLVEWS, Carroll Engineering and A.J. Jurich Inc., who did a fantastic installation job on this project. We Look forward to many more Projects like this in the near future.”

Straightforward Install

Channeline goes together with great ease. The segments are provided with a low-profile bell and spigot, which can be up within the host pipe. A simple caulking is used to fill the joints prior to grouting the annular space. A customer can request any lay lengths they desire between 1-ft and 8 ft long. The project contained lengths as low as 2-ft in order to navigate and realign the heaved invert.

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“This was a great product for this particular project. Channeline worked alongside us and the owner from day one to ensure the project went smoothly,” says Dewey Jurich of A.J. Jurich Inc. “From engineering to logistics, channeline ware extremely professional and responsive. The owner was very satisfied with the project.”

Lessons Learned

Among many other things, the primary lessons that were learned here included:

• Even the most challenging host pipe shapes can be lined. Survey and investigate up-front work will always benefit the final shape of the proposed solution.


• Channeline can customize to nearly any geometry to meet the projects demands. The install process is straightforward.


• With the installation of the West Goshen liner, it became obvious that we need to share this unique solution with as many DOTs, townships and contractors as we can.

This article was provided by Channeline International.