Tapered Light Poles in Haiti

Concrete light poles are more durable and have a longer life span than typical wood poles, two important features – especially on a tropical island. For that reason, concrete poles are being specified more often, especially in coastal areas. A precaster who was setting up a plant to produce concrete light poles in Haiti reached out to Hamilton Form for formwork.

The first set of forms were ready to ship just as Hurricane Irma made her way into the Caribbean. With winds of 185 mph, Irma caused devastation in the eastern Caribbean, swept across Puerto Rico and then hit Florida. Irma caused over $64.8 billion in damage. As residents began assessing the damage from Irma, Hurricane Maria followed right behind. Maria made a direct hit on the Island of Hispaniola, desolating the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Maria, one of the costliest hurricanes in history, caused $94 billion in damage.

Over the last decade, weather events including tornados, floods, wildfires and hurricanes have become more intense. This new reality of superstorms calls for more durable, resilient building materials such as precast concrete. We expect the market for precast products used for infrastructure projects will continue to grow. The forms made for light pole production will help deliver more reliable lighting to the people of Haiti. Hamilton Form is proud to have contributed in a small way to make that happen. The pictured form was built to produce prestressed tapered light poles at varying lengths, from 45 feet long to 30 feet long in 5-foot increments. A set of headers was provided for each length. Headers and jacking plates for the forms were lettered or numbered to assure each set stays together. The dual-cavity forms were built in 100-foot lengths and were designed to cast four products at a time, tip to tip. The forms are self-stressing to produce durable and resilient light poles.