Update: Route 179 Pipe Replaced, Paving Complete

Update, Sept. 9, late afternoon

Police report Route 179 is now fully open.

Original Story

A crew has replaced the pipe under Route 179 (Cherry Brook Road) near Canton Clay Works and paving is set to begin soon, state Department of Transportation General Supervisor Tim Hiller said shortly before 9 a.m. Friday morning.

Hiller hoped to have the road open shortly after noon.

A crew from JV III Construction Inc. of Rocky Hill replaced the corrugated metal pipe that carried water from a stream under the roadway.

Hiller said it was a challenge working with the stream. The company and DOT used sandbags in the stream to slow its flow and ran the rest of the water through a small pipe while working in the area. Hiller had hoped the road would be open by morning but the stream presented a challenge, he said.

"It took a lot longer last night," he said.

Yesterday, the DOT said it was already scheduled for replacements but heavy rains caused more fill to wash away around the damaged pipe, causing some holes in the roadway and making it unsafe to drive over.

The pipe probably goes back to pre-1950s, said JV III foreman Brian Law. He said the bottom was heavily eroded.

He said he's probably replaced 15 to 20 pipes in the past two years. They break, get clogged from Beaver activity and erode from salt, he said.

The new pipe is plastic and although it may seem soft is actually very strong. He compared it to trying to break an egg with your entire hand.

"The sphere gives it its strength," he said.

Also important is the fill material, he said. The company discarded numerous rocks around the old pipe and used high-quality fill around the new one and was able to use the existing concrete head-walls at the site.