New fabric salt storage structure aids in de-icing Hoosier State highways

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has added a new facility for winter de-icing operations and salt storage in Wabash, Ind. The new tension fabric building, which provides enough capacity to store 3,600 tons of salt, was custom designed, engineered and erected by Legacy Building Solutions. The photo shows the interior of the new facility.

“This is part of an ongoing process of replacing our older salt domes with fabric buildings,” says Steve McAvoy, state facilities manager for INDOT. “Legacy has provided us with other facilities previously, and they were a natural fit for this project.”

INDOT’s new structure utilizes Legacy’s rigid frame design, which allows for engineering flexibility. The building measures 85 by 160 feet with 20-foot on-center frames. The fabric structure sits atop an 8-foot-high concrete wall, except for the front endwall, where the concrete wall is 3 feet high. A large front door measures 18 by 28 feet, and the structure also has 16-by-16-foot side doors.

Legacy also designed a custom frame to accommodate another 16-by-16-foot entrance door in the front right corner of the building, which leads into an 18-by-30-foot wash bay. A series of 8-foot-high fabric walls in the wash bay help contain and capture runoff water, while preventing overspray from reaching the storage area. “Historically we’ve had to wash trucks in a separate building from where we stored salt,” says McAvoy. “With this design, we were able to save money and space by integrating the wash bay into the storage structure.”

“Installation of the infrastructure and building itself was quick and efficient, and we expect that the design initiatives put forth will lead to additional cost savings in the future,” says McAvoy.

To learn more about Legacy Building Solutions click here.

_____________

_{To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on Youtube}