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COVER STORY
Inclined to be Better
Very Reliable, Will Not Come Loose
said St. Louis County Paving Mainte-
nance Supervisor Bryan Donovan.
Thankfully, using AHP’s adjustable
manhole risers has allowed Donovan’s
department to greatly streamline many
of its infrastructure management pro-
cesses.
“We’ve been using (the risers) for 22
years, and now install anywhere from
150 to 200 annually,” said Donovan.
“Really, they’re better in every way
than our previous riser solution.”
Introduced several decades ago, man-
hole risers were invented to alleviate the
need to excavate and raise the entire man-
hole housing to grade with the surface
each time you repaved a road. Used by
many areas, including St. Louis County,
the older models were adjustable, but left
a lot to be improved upon. “They were
basically older-style, four-part, cast iron
risers, with sections joined by turnbuck-
les,” said Donovan, who added that each
of the four turnbuckles had to be turned
with crescent wrenches, making it an ar-
duous process.
“Just a beast to work with,” said
Donovan, who added that the design
issues didn’t stop with the turnbuckles.
“The old risers would never fit quite
right, and we had to use sealant to
make them stick. Even then they
would sometimes rattle out, especially
when they rusted.”
In 1998, the county began using
American Highway Products’ Pivot-
ed Turnbuckle Manhole Riser, which
offered a lighter, simpler, and more
www.callape.com
secure solution for raising manholes
to grade. Made in Bolivar, Ohio by
highly trained staff using advanced ro-
botic welding equipment, AHP’s risers
consist of a flexible ring made of gal-
vanized U.S. steel joined by just one
pivoted turnbuckle.
Perhaps most importantly, AHP’s
turnbuckle can easily be tightened
with just a screwdriver (when used as a
lever), yet still applies the thousands of
pounds of mechanical force when ex-
panding the riser. This creates a secure,
confident fit, even in old rims that may
be worn or out of round.
Perfectly To Grade
Donovan says that in those 22 years
since switching, his department has
never experienced a failure with a
properly installed AHP riser.
“They’re a lot lighter, easier to work
with and store, much quicker to install,
and they last longer,” said Donovan. “We
now try to keep about 300 (AHP risers)
on hand at all times, in two diameters
and several thicknesses, so we’re always
ready to raise manholes during paving
seasons or in emergencies.”
[8]
In St. Louis County, many of the old-
er roads have very high crowns, which
can create complications when raising
manholes to match steep cambers. In
the past the county tried to smooth
out the transition from level manhole
to sloped surface by building in as-
phalt humps. The inexact fit made for
an iffy fix and continued maintenance
headaches.. In 2014, the maintenance
department ordered six of AHP’s In-
clined Manhole Risers to see if a better
fix was possible.
Inclined to Quality & Saving Labor
Built with the same pivoted turn-
buckle technology to achieve their su-
per-snug fit, AHP’s inclined risers are
custom-built with inclines — in 1/4”
increments from side to side — that
make it easy to match sloped surfaces
precisely.
So far, said Donovan, AHP’s inclined
risers are offering the same level of
quality and confidence that turned the
company into a trusted partner of St.
Louis County 22 years ago.
“They’ve been in three or four years
now and have held up well while really
smoothing out our newly paved road-
ways,” said Donovan. “And they’re as
efficient to install as the (AHP risers
we’ve been installing for 22 years. So,
we’ll be ordering more to have on hand
for these situations.”
Angus W. Stocking is a former licensed
land surveyor who has been writing
about infrastructure since 2002
1.800.210.5923