Bypass benefits from Hydro-Brake® Drop
Hydro-Brake® Drop provided simple, non-disruptive flow control that prevented environmental damage and avoided greater expense.
Situation
A new 7 km / 4.5 mi bypass was built by Costain at Church Village for Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, Wales, to reduce traffic disruption on the A473 road between Pontypridd and Talbot Green.
Problem
The challenges in managing surface water both from natural and developed features were considerable, including run-off from the surrounding hilly countryside, existing drainage from several disused railway installations and groundwater from disused mineshafts. If this had not been carefully diverted around the new road, it could have created unplanned standing water or even undermined structures.
Solution
Costain selected Hydro-Brake® Drop to prevent excess flow force at the discharge, enabling them to meet the maximum design flow of 1 m3/sec / 264 gal/s through a 600 mm / 23 in pipe reducing to 450 mm / 17 in.
Outcome
Hydro-Brake® Drop provided a simple and non-disruptive flow control solution that prevented environmental damage and avoided the need for much greater expense.
Cutting into old rail ground structures can create all sorts of trouble as no-one knows what is in there, all the records had disappeared," said John Lee, Project Manager, Costain. "It was much simpler to install the Hydro-Brake® Drop, and with less visual impact too."