URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI) is the rapid, safe solution for the repair and maintenance of the critical infrastructure assets people count on to support their way of life.
For stabilization of dams, levees, bulkheads, and seawalls, UDI offers almost instant results that are environmentally responsible and that require no excavation or major reconstruction.
UDI provides fast and reliable support for railways, terminals, and spur line connections with important industrial, commercial, or military (DOD) facilities, restoring critical infrastructure to proper and safe working order for years to come.
For municipal water systems, UDI is the trusted solution for problems with Inflow & Infiltration (I&I), cracked or broken water mains and manholes, underground pipelines and utility trunks, and other buried assets such as tunnels and alternate accessways.
For all these types of infrastructure assets, UDI provides a proven and safe alternative to full reconstruction projects, extending the life of important public investments by stabilizing surrounding soils and providing a lasting barrier against underground water.
Common Causes of Infrastructure Failure Issues
Both natural and man-made causes can lead to weak soils beneath and around infrastructure assets. The original soil composition may have included loosely-packed materials that were not properly compressed before construction, or nearby drilling or excavation may have resulted in compromised soil quality. With seawalls, dams, and levees, the years-long effects of tidal motion may have slowly eroded the soils underpinning the base of the structure. Often, the slowly accumulating effects of water are to blame for settlement underneath pipelines, railway beds, stormwater and wastewater system components, and buried utilities as well.
Regardless of the cause, weak soils generally result in subsidence, which often leads to the formation of voids beneath the surface in base and subbase soils. Left unchecked, subsidence can have a negative impact on buried infrastructure assets. Symptoms of weak soils include settlement, cracks in concrete pipes, dips and heaves visible on the surface, and often, I&I issues within manholes and water system piping.
Across the country, the concept of system “rehabilitation” has been shown to offer significant cost and time savings over traditional replacement of cracked and broken underground infrastructure assets. Leading the way with this improved approach is URETEK and its UDI application. Keep reading to learn about our infrastructure foundation repair services.
Environmentally Friendly Solutions Needed
While environmental concerns are important wherever we consider them, perhaps nowhere are they more urgent than when considering our nation’s waterways and coastal areas. With so much rightfully placed attention focused on maintaining and preserving our water resources, a critical concern for any dam, levee, or seawall repair project must involve possible environmental impact.
What do you do when your ferry terminal, commercial port, or community seawall starts to develop sinkholes behind it? What about if your community lake or pond has a dam that is leaching material downstream and threatening to fail? You need a fast solution, but not just any solution will do. In all these cases, you must consider the impact of any mitigation measure on the surrounding environment. Consider infrastructure foundation rehabilitation for your projects.
UDI is Safe around Public Water Resources
For officials responsible for the proper repair and maintenance of public infrastructure assets, safety is always a primary consideration. URETEK’s 486 Star® polymer is certified for conforming to the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61, Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects. This is the standard that establishes minimum health effect requirements for materials, components, products, or systems that contact drinking water, drinking water treatment chemicals, or both by NSF International. In general terms, NSF 61 Certification means that UDI is safe to use around potable water.
Repairs Delayed Lead to Problems Compounded
Typical budget constraints force local governments to delay repairs on cracked and leaking manholes and wastewater pipelines, and this delay can compound one rainy year’s challenges and force local officials to face even more costly repairs in subsequent years.
In the past, dealing with I&I issues involved major construction projects with expensive timelines, heavy equipment, extensive excavation, traffic disruption, and the temporary interruption of services.
UDI Knocks out Inflow & Infiltration for Municipal Water Systems
In some areas, I&I issues following heavy rain events cause pump stations to experience a significant increase in flow, and wastewater treatment plants are pushed to their limits to keep up. Additional costs are passed along to taxpayers, and local governments with an eye on future development find that I&I seriously impacts their ability to follow through on promises of growth.
For cities trying to grow and expand their tax base, seasonal I&I issues can seriously limit their options and threaten their ability to sign future capacity letters for new commercial developments.
For other cities, where growth is less of a focus than just trying to stay on top of aging infrastructure assets approaching the end of their life cycle, UDI provides a welcome extension for the proper working life of critical wastewater and stormwater piping systems.
UDI Knocks out Inflow & Infiltration for Municipal Water Systems
In some areas, I&I issues following heavy rain events cause pump stations to experience a significant increase in flow, and wastewater treatment plants are pushed to their limits to keep up. Additional costs are passed along to taxpayers, and local governments with an eye on future development find that I&I seriously impacts their ability to follow through on promises of growth.
For cities trying to grow and expand their tax base, seasonal I&I issues can seriously limit their options and threaten their ability to sign future capacity letters for new commercial developments.
For other cities, where growth is less of a focus than just trying to stay on top of aging infrastructure assets approaching the end of their life cycle, UDI provides a welcome extension for the proper working life of critical wastewater and stormwater piping systems.
Rail Systems Depend on UDI
The railroad industry has been essential to the American economy for nearly two hundred years. With 95,000 miles of road, Class 1 Carriers are an integral part of the infrastructure of this great country. The safe and efficient transportation of goods and people from coast to coast is a serious matter that requires reliable maintenance and repair solutions when rail beds settle.
For track maintenance, time truly is money. For example, should repairs require shutdown of a main track or branch line, traffic must be either diverted or stopped until the repair is complete. When rail traffic comes to a halt, associated costs in man hours, re-crews and fuel consumption can greatly affect a carrier’s bottom line.
The same is true for portions of track where erosion or water intrusion has weakened sub-soils resulting in settlement. Long term slow orders due to settlement and slow train traffic affecting train handling and fuel consumption both impact the bottom line. When track speed is reduced due to poor roadbed conditions, other factors such as prolonged rain or flooding can cause erosion or failure of an already compromised roadbed. Such cases can result in catastrophic train derailment, a massive expense for rail system operators and a serious matter of public safety.
URETEK can restore the integrity of rail beds, repair crossings, and stabilize culverts and bridge abutments with infrastructure foundation repair and rehabilitation with no requirement to take tracks out of service for extended periods. Our ability to clear work areas, allow train traffic to pass, then return to work immediately keeps operations running with minimal interruption.
Infrastructure Asset Repair with URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI)
When our nation’s important infrastructure assets are under threat from the effects of time and weather, URETEK offers proven solutions. Loose, poorly compacted foundation soils are our specialty, and URETEK has extensive experience with dams and levees, seawalls and ferry terminals, municipal I&I mitigation, and rail system maintenance and repair. We have a long list of completed projects, many of which will likely match the circumstance you face in your area. Our experience shows that we have the specific solution you need to restore infrastructure assets and allow for many more years of effective use.
Local Officials Rely on UDI
Beginning in 1988, with the introduction of URETEK Deep Injection®, our trusted soil stabilization method has been relied upon by city, state, and DOD officials across the country. In every climate, they depend on UDI to stabilize soils, fill voids, and most importantly, maintain and extend the life of their important infrastructure assets.
UDI involves the injection of structural polymer into base and subgrade soils to increase their load bearing capacity. This is achieved by injecting the polymer through small holes drilled to depths determined by site-specific analysis. URETEK’s industry-leading high-density polyurethane foam (HDPF) polymer material flows easily into voids and weak zones within the soil mass below. Then, through a controlled chemical reaction, the expanding polymer compacts surrounding soils, increasing their load bearing capacity. The composite material quickly cures into a strong, dimensionally stable, environmentally inert, non-toxic, and water-resistant geo-material that provides years of reliable service.
Have Any Questions?
Our proven UDI application is also the preferred method for stabilizing weak soils and lifting settled parking lots and paved public spaces.
The UDI Advantage
Fast
UDI requires no excavation, and projects can often be completed in hours or days. Traditional repair methods often involve excavation, and the time required for project completion can be weeks.
Economical
The repair process is priced consistently below alternative repair methods, and implementing repairs now significantly reduces further repair costs down the road.
Durable
URETEK’s 486 Star polymer is specially formulated for stability and strength, even in the harshest environments. Our polymer is hydro-insensitive, and UDI is warranted against loss of dimensional stability or deterioration.
Effective
URETEK’s 486 Star polymer material has been used to successfully complete over 100,000 projects nationwide. The lightweight, expansive geo-polymer material not only realigns concrete pavement but also addresses the problem at the source – weak soil composition – giving customers a long-lasting solution.
Minimally Disruptive
Unlike other repair methods, UDI is minimally disruptive and requires no excavation.
Safe
Liability risk is greatly reduced with UDI due to an inherently safer working environment without deep excavation or heavy equipment. The process and material are eco-friendly and meet today’s high environmental standards.
Trusted Vendor for Infrastructure Maintenance Programs
For over 30 years, URETEK has been a trusted, reliable partner for public officials and Prime Contractors intent on maintaining our nation’s critical infrastructure assets. With increasing traffic loads on the country’s aging rail system, along with growing demands on municipal water and utility systems, the need for reliability and trust has never been more important than it is today. With its rapid response and crew scheduling that takes advantage of overnight and off-peak hours, URETEK is the vendor most prepared to complete infrastructure maintenance tasks without severely impacting traffic.
When we arrive, our crews get right to work on a site-specific repair or maintenance solution that quickly mitigates weak soils and I&I issues, and extends the reliable working life of important water systems, rail systems, and waterfront infrastructure. Best of all, our zero-excavation solution means the work is completed in days, not weeks or months. When the job involves stabilizing base and subbase soils and restoring critical assets to their optimal functional state, nobody does it better, or faster, than URETEK.
Contact URETEK today to learn more about our speedy infrastructure maintenance and repair solutions that keep budgets in line while assuring many more years of reliable service.
