| Date: Friday, June 25, 2021 District: 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz CountiesContact:Kevin Drabinski or Jim ShiversPhone:(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EVEN CALTRANS NEEDS A LIFT: HELICOPTER PICKED TUNNELING MACHINERY FROM RAT CREEK SITE ON HIGHWAY 1 ON TUESDAY MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans announced today that it had called in a heavy lift helicopter on Tuesday June 22, to remove tunneling equipment which had been instrumental in the installation a 10 ft. diameter, 1.25-inch-thick steel pipe culvert beneath the roadway. Late last week crews had successfully completed their tunneling operation from the east side of Rat Creek Canyon, through the fill underneath the roadway, and broke through where the culvert will outlet on the coast side of Highway 1. This tunneling operation successfully installed the 10-foot diameter steel pipe culvert at a 30 percent slope and it will serve as the centerpiece of redundant drainage infrastructure at Rat Creek which will substantially improve water flow capacity during future storm events. Papich Construction and Caltrans engineers determined that tunneling the main culvert instead of installing it during the fill construction would allow for the reopening of the roadway 4 to 6 weeks earlier than originally planned. The roadway was successfully reopened just 86 days after a late January storm event and associated debris flows severed this scenic stretch of coastal highway. Once the tunneling machinery had performed its task, it was broken into two segments, each weighing some 25,000 pounds. The helicopter made two lifts and the equipment was placed on the side of the highway where it will be transported off site. Highway 1 at Rat Creek will remain open as final construction work wraps up in late summer. Motorists can expect intermittent reversing lane closures with delays of up to 10 minutes through this still active construction zone. Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through highway work zones. For traffic updates on other state highways in Monterey County, travelers may contact Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318 or can visit the District 5 website at: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5 Image 1: Preflight safety meeting. 06.22.21Image 2: Helicopter carries 25,000 lbs. of tunneling equipment at Rat Creek 06.22.21Image 3: Helicopter against the clouds at Rat Creek 06.22.21 |
“This tunneling operation successfully installed the 10-foot diameter steel pipe culvert at a 30 percent slope and it will serve as the centerpiece of redundant drainage infrastructure at Rat Creek which will substantially improve water flow capacity during future storm events.”
At what velocity will hungry water move through the pipe? Will it cause any vibration? If so, what will be the effects upon the surrounding soil? Was any of the compacted/enhanced fill loosened around the pipe by tunneling operations? If so, what will be the effects upon the compacted/enhanced fill? What will be the effects of debris (boulders, trees, etc.) upon the culvert and the fill structure over time? Is the pipe subject to corrosion? What is the projected useful life of the pipe, given the totality of the context? What will be the effects of the discharge? What is the total, as-built length of the pipe/culvert?
Granted that the project will “substantially IMPROVE water flow CAPACITY,” what would be the consequences, given the same circumstances that caused the initial failure?
What does “redundant drainage infrastructure” mean? Does it mean only that the capacity of the project will be “substantially improved” or that, given the same circumstances that “caused” the initial failure (or was the “cause” due to the totality of the context and the [mal?]function of the original design)?