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A power company faced ongoing maintenance challenges with a series of leaning power poles installed along a drainage ditch in an area with a consistently high water table. The utility company required a solution to restore pole alignment and improve soil support while maintaining strict safety requirements and minimizing service disruption.
HMI partnered with a specialty contractor to implement a polyurethane foam soil improvement approach to stabilize the poles and strengthen weak, saturated soils.
The affected poles were gradually leaning due to weak, moisture-impacted soils and erosion along the ditch line. Because of safety requirements, the power company’s crews needed to bring the poles back to plumb using their approved equipment and procedures. The challenge was ensuring that the restored alignment would be maintained over time in a high groundwater environment.
Power company crews noted that their conventional remediation method typically required significant labor and equipment time.
The conventional method included:
This approach typically took approximately four hours per pole.
HMI supported a polyurethane foam soil improvement process that complemented the power company’s pole-straightening procedures. After the power company’s crews restored each pole to plumb, foam was injected to:
Solution particulars (average per pole):
A total of 15 power poles were straightened and stabilized using this approach. The site team noted that the combined process reduced completion time from approximately four hours per pole to roughly one hour per pole. The average cost per pole was reduced by over 37% compared to conventional manual backfill
methods, while installation time was reduced by approximately 75%, and the quality and long-term durability of the surrounding soil support were improved.
In high water table conditions where weak soils can compromise pole alignment, polyurethane foam soil improvement provides an efficient, minimally disruptive
option to enhance long-term stability. By pairing the power company’s pole-straightening procedures with targeted foam injection, HMI and its contractor partner helped restore alignment, reinforce surrounding soils, and deliver measurable time and cost savings compared to conventional manual backfill methods.
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Manitowoc, WI 54220