InfraSteel, a division of Precision Pipe & Products, collaborated with New Mexico DOT hydraulic and design engineers to provide a maintenance free rehabilitation solution for a (12) barrel concrete bridge culvert located in Southeastern New Mexico. The legacy structure began showing signs of deterioration and wear due to the caustic gypsum content of area sediments. This was attributed to the high-volume of annual snow melt that carried corrosive minerals from the Sacramento Mountain range.

After conducting a market assessment survey to compare the viability of various rehabilitation procedures, the DOT’s hydraulic team determined the proposed InfraSteel Arch Liner design met both the hydraulic and structural requirements for the site and included a calculated design life.

The existing (12) 6ft x 3ft cell structure is located under US-54 approximately 15 miles south of the City of Alamogordo and serves at a critical juncture of the nearly 1,200-mile highway that connects El Paso, TX to Griggsville, IL. The structure sits in a critical storm-water conveyance, and the DOT hydraulic authority stipulated that the liner design could not result in a rise in headwaters during a high-flow event. The InfraSteel solution would restore and preserve the capacity of each 122ft barrel, totaling over 1,400 linear feet of pipe.

The project designers evaluated all approved liner products in their system, including Corrugated Metal Pipe liner, HDPE Round Liner, Round Smooth-Wall Steel pipe. After confirming the hydraulic parameters in Nov 2023, the DOT released formal authorization to implement the rehabilitation utilizing the proposed 68” x 32” x .500w InfraSteel Arch Pipe solution. Following the DOT’s hydraulic assessment and design authorization, Precision Pipe & Products submitted InfraSteel for NMDOT Product Approval.

In April 2024, InfraSteel shipped a liner template to the project site, and coordinated a field verification visit with the regional DOT design team. Following confirmation of the liner sizing and approval of the InfraSteel specification review, the project was put to public bid in August 2024. FNF Construction (offices in AZ, NM, and CO) was recognized as the low-bidder and awarded the construction contract in November 2024 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding provisions.

On November 18, 2024, InfraSteel confirmed HL-93 Load Calculations and Design-Life for the InfraSteel arch solution, and began fabrication of the liner. During this interim period, FNF began mobilizing to the site, and prepared additional roadway and shoulder improvements.

By mid-January 2025, FNF Construction was in-place to begin site execution, with the first delivery of pipe arriving on January 17. FNF utilized a team of up to 6 welders to pre-stage and weld (3) sections of InfraSteel together prior to installing and pushing into each barrel. The contracting team worked sequentially to line all (12) barrels loading from the outlet end. After the Arch liner had been installed in each barrel, plywood bulkheads were erected to seal off the remaining annular space prior to grouting.

The project was completed by early March 2025, ahead of schedule and in accordance with the funding and Buy America stipulations required by the Federal Highway Improvement initiative as it’s intended purpose is to restore and preserve the surface transportation infrastructure.

At InfraSteel we believe that a properly designed slipline project is a method of installing a new structure at the failing site. It is imperative that all structural alternatives be investigated to choose the best solution for each given site. The newly installed InfraSteel liner, which meets both the structural and hydraulic design criteria, are considered new replacements, and will continue to serve for many decades to come!