By: Contech Engineered Solutions LLC
Founded in 1928, Brookshire’s Grocery is a Texas based, employed-owned grocery store that continues to experience success and growth, expanding into neighboring communities throughout the years and now operating in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. With over 200 stores and several well-known brands, Brookshire continues to make a name for itself by developing local stores that are tailored to the distinctive needs of the communities they serve.
In December of 2021, Brookshire representatives were excited to break ground on a new store in north Bossier City, Louisiana. The new facility will be built at the intersection of Airline Drive and Wemple Road, centrally located to serve the community around it.
Given that this was a groundbreaking development, a new storm sewer system was needed to handle the additional surface runoff from the impervious surface of the parking lots and paved areas. Originally, a reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) storm sewer system was selected as it was able to maintain the hydraulic requirements of a Manning’s “n” of 0.012. However, due to manufacturing lead times and cost, alternative options were evaluated to see if another solution might be a better option for the project.
Ultimately, a spiral rib corrugated steel 
pipe (CSP) storm sewer manufactured by Contech Engineered Solutions was selected as it was the most optimal solution. With over 1,882 LF of 66-inch diameter, the spiral rib CSP asphalt-coated system was installed with relative ease, while providing the desired 100-years’ service life required by the engineer of record. Additionally, the spiral rib CSP storm sewer system has a unique profile with a smooth interior that improves hydraulic capacity capable of Manning’s “n” of 0.012 while its exterior box ribs provide the structural strength that allow for extreme heights of cover if needed, meeting the hydraulic requirements of the project. Spiral rib CSP is the material of choice for storm sewer applications and a lower cost alternative to reinforced concrete pipe.
Originally, the plans called for large junction boxes to address the tight site constraints. However, Contech was able to supply inline fittings to address these concerns, which were both cost-effective and much easier to install. The custom fabricated fitting included a smaller PVC drain system, two 90 LF runs of 48-inch diameter. This provided huge cost savings to the contractor while allowing them to meet the schedule for the project with ease, while other options would have required several months longer in lead time with a much longer installation process.
The contractor, Central Builders, Inc., was extremely pleased with the ease of installation and the flexibility of the spiral rib CSP storm sewer system to fit within the site constraints with custom fabrications while meeting as the structural design requirements of the project.