Schoolcraft County Memorial

Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital’s new state of the art facility provides health and wellness services for South Central Upper Peninsula residents. The site for the hospital main entrance required a “clear span” stream crossing which called for the blending of both function and beauty, while also correlating with the native natural limestone theme of the facility. 

Upper Peninsula Concrete Pipe Co., Inc.’s (UPCPC) Con/Span (r) precast concrete box arch coupled with its decorative enhancements meet the natural stone theme both structurally and aesthetically. The precast concrete structure is comprised of concrete produced with local native limestone… a material that will likely provide service well into the next century. The decorative “look” as developed by the UPCPC team, the design/build group, and the hospital staff using the native limestone motif was embraced by all. The finished product provides both the function and graceful beauty originally sought after.

The soils enabled the box/arches and its wingwalls to be constructed on conventional spread footings with minimal stream incursion. From start to finish, installation of the precast elements took less than a week, with backfilling and roadway construction commencing soon afterward.

The visible precast concrete elements were cast with a formliner which emulated stacked limestone slabs. After installation, each faux “rock” was individually stained. Interior walls of the precast headwall were then grouted with a limestone veneer and their tops finished with an intentionally gritty precast concrete capstone to also emulate cut limestone. The finishing touch of a locally produced stained log handrail complemented the “native materials” theme. UPCPC crews were responsible for all these on-site decorative enhancements.

Contact UPCPC for specifics on how your next stream crossing or tunnel project can provide function and beauty for now and for generations to follow.