Utility infrastructure has traditionally spent much of its service life above ground, where weather, vehicle impacts, and other hazards can cause damage, disrupt service, and drive repeated repairs.
As communities move more electrical and communications infrastructure below ground, utility owners need a new generation of structures capable of protecting them for the long term. The structures housing those critical connections must be able to withstand moisture, soil pressure, changing loads, extreme temperatures, and regular field access for decades to come.
Fort Miller Precast and Cor-Tuf are meeting that need through a new partnership to manufacture CT-Tufbox utility structures using Cor-Tuf 420 ultra-high-performance concrete. Fully corrosion-proof and impact-resistant, these precast utility boxes are engineered for a service life of more than 100 years and reliable performance in extreme climates.
Through this partnership, Cor-Tuf’s UHPC technology is paired with Fort Miller’s precast manufacturing experience and quality-controlled production capabilities.
Bringing UHPC Performance to Utility Structures
Cor-Tuf 420 UHPC provides compressive strength exceeding 22,000 psi at 28 days, along with high tensile, flexural, and bonding strengths. It also offers negligible chloride penetrability and strong freeze-thaw resistance.
These properties uniquely equip CT-Tufbox utility structures to withstand moisture, soil movement, freeze-thaw cycles, and other demanding underground conditions while delivering a service life of more than 100 years.
As a regional production partner, Fort Miller brings the facilities, technical knowledge, and established quality-control processes needed to manufacture CT-Tufboxes consistently and at scale. Its experience supporting complex infrastructure projects also gives customers access to a precast partner that understands how production, delivery, installation, and long-term performance come together in the field.
For utility owners, the result is long-term protection with fewer replacements, lower lifecycle costs, and less disruption to the systems and communities the structures serve.
Less Material, More Installation Flexibility
The strength of Cor-Tuf 420 allows each utility structure to achieve the required performance with approximately 75 percent less material than a traditional concrete utility box. That reduces the initial material cost while bringing each unit to less than one-third the weight of a comparable conventional structure.
More units can be shipped per load, reducing the fuel, time, and transportation costs required to move them from Fort Miller’s precast facility to the jobsite. Once there, their lighter weight can simplify handling and installation. The standard 4-by-4-foot CT-Tufbox, for example, can be installed using a mini excavator.
Those immediate savings continue over the structure’s service life. With corrosion-proof construction, impact resistance, and a projected lifespan of more than 100 years, CT-Tufboxes can help utility owners avoid the cost and disruption of repeated replacements.
Fort Miller and Cor-Tuf offer two sizes of utility boxes; a 4’x4’ and 4’x8’ box. The 4’x4’ box has a heaviest pick of approximately 1,500-lbs. and the 4’x8’ box has a heaviest pick of approximately 1,900-lbs.
Supporting the Grid Ahead
Electrical and communications networks continue to expand as communities invest in grid improvements, data infrastructure, and greater system capacity. The structures protecting those networks need to meet today’s installation requirements and remain dependable well into the future.
The Fort Miller and Cor-Tuf partnership brings that goal into production. By combining Cor-Tuf’s advanced UHPC technology with Fort Miller’s precast manufacturing capabilities, the companies are making lighter, longer-lasting utility structures available for the infrastructure work ahead.
To learn more about CT-Tufbox utility structures or discuss a potential application, contact Fort Miller Precast at 518-695-5000 or Cor-Tuf UHPC at 703-479-2886.
