Cable Conduit Across Concrete Drainage Channel

[Bubik]

Hi there

First of all, I have zero experience with drainage…. I am more from the structural side, but I am required to deliver so…

The contractor was excavating an area for a drainage channel and encountered a conduit with fibre optical cable in it. The position of the conduit would be almost in the middle of the channel cross section. Upstream of the channel section with the cable there is a whole drainage network (Not very extensive though) so that the all the water from the network flows in to this channel. The channel then meets another drainage network downstream. The project is in the Middle East, not much rain but when it rains it can get heavy for a short time.

Would you guys built a kind culvert, if so would you consult the designer of the drainage system to check if it doesn’t interfere with the water flow and cause excessive water head build up in the system?

One of the guys here suggested casting the conduit in concrete (like a thin beam spanning between the channels walls in the middle of cross section)…. but to be honest I am not sure about it.

Any Advice how to approach the problem????

Thank you

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[oldestguy]

If there is any chance that debris will come along with the water, you have to protect the cable from that load, which might be quite high. I'd prefer a steel beam of sorts, where its condition can be observed from time to time. I'd not trust reinforced concrete, since steel is not readily seen.

 

[Bubik]

So basically I would just encase the conduit in a steel pipe kind a thing..and the rest stays exactly the same including the channel.

 

[gbam]

That would work from the cable POV, however, make sure that the channel hydraulics are good with debris loading the pipe crossing. Do not want to have the channel overtopped because of the encasement. I have seen this scenario through concrete box culverts; but, the encasement was Ductile Iron. Not sure if they make a "clam shell" DI encasement.