By: Lane Enterprises, LLC
Summary
Lane Enterprises earned top honors from The NCSPA, receiving both the 2026 DOT Project of the Year Award and the Polymer Coated Project of the Year Award for the West Lebanon Emergency Culvert Replacement in Indiana. After a failing culvert forced the closure of a major four-lane highway, the project team installed a 15-foot diameter polymer coated steel structural plate pipe to improve hydraulic capacity and extend service life. The emergency culvert replacement restored critical infrastructure while delivering a long-term solution designed to outperform the original installation.
An Emergency Culvert Replacement Built for Long-Term Performance
The West Lebanon Emergency Culvert Replacement earned top honors from The NCSPA, receiving both the 2026 DOT Project of the Year Award and the Polymer Coated Project of the Year Award. Located near West Lebanon, Indiana, the project tackled the imminent failure of a culvert beneath State Route 63, a heavily traveled four-lane highway. The closure forced traffic onto a summer detour between State Route 28 and State Route 263 while crews worked to restore the crossing. However, this project was not simply about replacing aging infrastructure. Instead, it became an opportunity to improve performance for decades to come.
Originally installed in the early 1970s when the highway corridor was first constructed, the existing 12-foot diameter steel structural plate culvert had reached the end of its service life. As deterioration accelerated, the Indiana Department of Transportation moved quickly to address the growing risk of failure before conditions worsened. Rather than replacing the structure with a similar system, the team pursued a smarter, larger, and longer-lasting solution.
A Bigger, Better Culvert Solution
To improve hydraulic performance and durability, the replacement structure was upsized from 12 feet to 15 feet in diameter. The finished installation featured a 15-foot diameter, 242-foot-long polymer coated steel structural plate pipe, designed to increase flow capacity while providing significantly greater long-term reliability. Manufactured and coated by Lane Enterprises to meet ASTM A1113 requirements, the new structure represented a major upgrade over the original installation.
Polymer coated steel pipe played a key role in the project’s success. In demanding environments where durability matters, polymer coatings help provide enhanced protection while supporting longer service life expectations. In this case, the upgraded system is expected to double the service life of the original culvert installed more than 50 years ago. That means fewer disruptions, reduced maintenance concerns, and improved reliability for a major transportation corridor.
The Conversation That Changed the Project
Sometimes, innovative projects begin with an unexpected conversation.
According to the project team, the Indiana DOT had been discussing the road closure and failing pipe when Chris Mooney of St. Regis Culvert, a Lane Enterprises customer, walked into the DOT shop. During the discussion, he introduced the idea of using a polymer coated steel structural plate pipe, an option the DOT had not previously considered. That conversation helped shift the direction of the project toward a solution capable of improving both performance and service life.
The result was not just an emergency fix. Instead, it became a major infrastructure improvement designed to better serve Indiana drivers for decades.
A Stronger Future for State Route 63
Emergency infrastructure projects rarely come with the luxury of time. When a major highway closes, every day matters. Yet the West Lebanon Emergency Culvert Replacement proved that urgency does not have to come at the expense of long-term thinking.
By replacing a failing structure with a larger polymer coated steel pipe, the project team improved hydraulic capacity, increased expected service life, and restored a critical transportation route. More importantly, the project demonstrates how innovative material selection and collaborative problem-solving can turn an emergency into an opportunity for lasting improvement.
For DOT agencies facing aging infrastructure, this project offers a powerful reminder that the best emergency solution may also be the smartest long-term investment.
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