Shawnee’s Infrastructure Milestone: The Clearpond Road Culvert Project

When the City of Shawnee, OK asked Freese and Nichols to assist with an emergency culvert replacement on Clearpond Road, our Oklahoma transportation team mitigated the risk by incorporating a robust foundation design to support the reinforced roadway reconstruction. The completion of the Clearpond Road Culvert project in Shawnee, Oklahoma marks a significant milestone for the city’s infrastructure.

The culvert had experienced a cycle of repeated maintenance over the years and Freese and Nichols worked with the city on a permanent solution to address the issue.

The previous culvert design, made up of two 60-inch Corrugated Metal Pipes, was not robust enough to handle the demanding conditions of the Oklahoma climate or its soft soils causing the culvert to sink into the ground, making the roadway unstable.

To address this, a pair of 5-foot by 5-foot Reinforced Concrete Boxes were put in place, anchored by a base of 16 steel piles embedded into the bedrock. These piles, extending 40 to 50 feet underground, lend both stability and durability to the updated culvert structure.