Downtown Akron Adopts Innovative Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Risers for Smoother Streets

By Angus W. Stocking, L.S.

Akron-based Perrin Asphalt Company is a family-owned asphalt and concrete paving firm that’s been in business for more than 50 years. The firm has always viewed quality as one of the key factors that set them apart from other paving companies, so they were concerned when they noticed that typical parking lot repaving projects tended to leave large dips around catch basins.

“After a paving lift, catch basins tended to end up below grade and that was a quality issue for us,” says President Chuck Perrin. “Edges would be exposed, and degrade more quickly. So, we started looking for a better way.”

That better way turned out to be catch basin risers from American Highway Products. AHP steel catch basin risers are fabricated to order in precise thickness and dimension increments, and can be delivered in just a few days. They fit existing utility rims securely, providing a new seat for the original grate that leaves the grate exactly on grade — no dips or potholes, and no exposed asphalt or concrete that will crumble quickly. They are a fast, convenient way to adjust utility grates, saving $200 to $400 in labor and material costs compared to traditional methods. Because they install in 10 minutes or less, lane closure times are also potentially reduced. And they’re sturdy.

“We’ve been installing at least a hundred annually for at least 15 years,” Perrin says. “And I’ve never seen one fail, not even from rust. … Usually, customers don’t even know we install these risers. It’s something we do on our own so that our paving projects look better and last longer.”

Manhole Risers Too
Perrin liked the results so much that the company immediately decided to try out another utility riser solution from AHP, the Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Riser. This is an adjustable steel riser; the ‘pivoted turnbuckle’ is set into the flexible rim, which enables onsite adjustment. This makes manhole grade adjustment a fast, convenient process. Many contractors set the AHP risers immediately before paving. The new riser is set into the original manhole rim, and crews use a Phillips-head screwdriver (as a cranking lever) to quickly expand the riser. This mechanical process exerts thousands of pounds of force, seating the riser tightly and securely, even in worn rims.

“Being able to tighten the rims makes a big difference — I like how they ‘hold on’ to the original unit,” Perrin says. “Some of the cast iron risers will just sit loosely on the rim’s bottom ledge and flop around.” In Perrin Asphalt’s workflow, a two-man crew works just ahead of the paver and sets all the risers. “The whole process takes about 10 minutes,” Perrin says. And they’re cost effective.

“We still raise manholes with grade rings, because some cities insist on it,” Perrin says. “We can only do about four a day when we do it that way, and the costs work out to about $500 more per riser. I don’t think cities need to spend that money — like the catch basin risers, I’ve never seen one of the manhole risers fail.”

Perrin Asphalt Company orders about 100 risers annually and keeps a few on their premises for immediate use.

“We keep about three standard sizes on hand, which covers most of the manholes in our area,” Perrin says. “And I just love their service. If I need larger amounts, or an unusual size, American Highway Products is usually able to deliver them within a couple of days.” And in most years, the company actually installs far more AHP risers than they purchase. Akron, for example, supplies the adjustable risers for contractors to install — as many as 300 for a single project.

A 50-year history as a respected, family-owned business is an outstanding milestone in any industry, and particularly in infrastructure contracting. One of Perrin Asphalt Company’s “secrets” is really rather simple; when quality challenges arise, find a better solution — and stick with it.

For Angus W. Stocking, L.S. is a licensed land surveyor who has been writing about infrastructure since 2002. American Highway Products can be reached at 1-888-272-2397 or by email at sales@ahp2.com. Visit their website at www.ahp1.com