Vierbicher Engineering is made up of a team of planners, engineers, landscape architects and surveyors committed to providing the highest level of skill and expertise to their clients throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. To bolster that commitment to excellence, Vierbicher’s engineering team toured County Materials’ Madison, WI reinforced concrete pipe manufacturing facility on August 21st, in recognition of National Concrete Pipe week.
County Materials has a long track record of hosting tours for industry professionals and students in the construction industry. Concrete pipe products manufactured by County Materials are utilized in infrastructure, transportation construction, commercial, agricultural, municipal and residential developments. It is vital for engineers to recognize the role that concrete pipe plays in supporting American infrastructure.
Before walking into the plant, the engineers were taught about the stringent ASTM specifications that County Materials’ reinforced concrete pipe meets and the rigorous testing process that County Materials performs before pipe leaves the facility. Later during the tour, the engineers saw firsthand successful compression and absorption tests.
“Knowing the efforts required in making reinforced concrete pipe—the strict strength tests and specifications concrete pipe withstands - proves that concrete pipe is an inherently strong material, making it the clear choice for our communities compared to alternative materials such as polypropylene pipe,” said County Materials Technical Resource Engineer, Brian Kolden, P.E. “Tours like this make demonstrating these facts possible.”
National Concrete Pipe week was created to recognize the vital role reinforced concrete pipe plays in communities across the nation. Storm water management systems built with reinforced concrete pipe are an integral part of community infrastructure. County Materials supported National Concrete Pipe week by sharing industry appreciation with customers and industry partners, as well as hosting plant tours across the company’s many locations for elected officials and industry professionals.