Gorge Park River Fording

PROJECT SUMMARY

The design challenge was to replace the aerial sewer with a buried sewer of sufficient capacity to prevent overflows to the river and protect the pipe from falling trees. Due to the difficulty and cost of transporting engineered gravel pipe-bedding to the remote site, 30-inch and 36-inch ceramic epoxy-lined ductile iron pipe (which does not require structural bedding of the pipe) was specified as the replacement pipe with cast-in-place concrete anti-floatation anchors. Due to the steep cliffs and densely wooded areas within Gorge Park, the only excavation equipment access to the site was by fording the Cuyahoga River during dry weather. The sewer construction was accomplished with minimal clearing in order to create as little disturbance as possible in the natural park setting. Another section of trunk sewer upstream required the replacement of a 16-foot high 32-foot span aerial crossing that was replaced with new piers and a 24-inch diameter epoxy lined steel sewer pipe with expansion joints.

PROJECT ELEMENTS

  • Mobilization and site access
  • Minimal Clearing
  • Setup Bypass Pumping
  • Demolish Existing 24” Sewer
  • Install new 30” & 36” DIP Sewer & Manholes.
  • Site Restoration

SERVICES PROVIDED BY CTI PERSONNEL

  • Preliminary Design
  • Topo & Utility Survey
  • Geotechnical Investigation
  • Structural Design
  • Bypass Pumping Design
  • Sanitary Sewer Design
  • Work Agreement development with Park District
  • Bidding Services
  • Construction & RPR Services
Project Description

This mainline trunk sewer is located in Gorge Park which is part of the Summit County Metro Parks in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The existing trunk sewer ran parallel and adjacent to the Cuyahoga River as it traverses through the steep and rocky ledges of the gorge. The sewer was undersized for its current flows and was subject to frequent surcharging and overflows, especially during wet weather. The existing 24-inch steel pipe aerial sewer was constructed in 1939 with several modifications, repairs and improvements in the interim. Because portions of the original sewer were constructed above grade on piers, it was subject to frequent strikes and main breaks from falling trees followed by large sewer overflows to the river. These overflows could sometimes last for days before the City became aware of the problem and was able to access the remote site with the necessary equipment to repair it.

Project Details
  • Client: City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio