Yakutat, AK — Rehabilitation of Culvert Under Runway

Snap-Tite® Lines Oval Culvert under Remote Alaskan Airport Taxiway, Flights Resume as Scheduled

Background
The city of Yakutat is situated in a remote southeast region of Alaska, along the Gulf of Alaska. Its name means “the place where canoes rest.” The isolated location is accessible only by air, boat or barge and has limited services available. The city has an airport – Yakutat Airport; and because of the area’s remoteness, the airport is vital to the transport of goods and people.
The Problem
At the Yakutat Airport, a major airline was not able to use its main taxiway to reach the runway for take-off due to a failing oval culvert underneath. The culvert showed signs of collapse under the weight of the Boeing 737-800 series aircraft that used the taxiway. The steel pipe was only five years old and though it did not show signs of corrosion, it was failing. The arched corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culvert was 6’9” by 4’11”. Besides aircraft trafficking over this taxiway, the 737 rear landing gear also sat right on top of the underlying pipe, contributing to the pressure placed on the culvert. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required the airport to fix the problem immediately and have the taxiway up and running.

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