Patent ID: 6769834
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: E02D

Abstract:
A method of compensating for a vertical offset between a top surface of a paved roadway and a top surface of a cover disposed across an opening extending downward through the roadway, comprising the steps of:providing a mat having a platform that is larger in area than the opening, and that is sized to overlie both the cover and laterally adjacent structure disposed about the opening, and the mat also having a top surface and a thickness similar to the vertical offset; forming alignable sets of at least three circumferentially spaced holes through the mat and the cover; providing fasteners with shafts sized and configured for insertion through the holes, and with heads which are greater in diameter than the holes; placing the mat flat on top of the cover so that the cover is nested inside the platform of the mat; aligning the holes in the mat with the holes in the cover; inserting the shafts through the aligned holes; and anchoring the shafts relative to a bottom side of the cover in such a manner that the heads are at least as low as the top surface of the mat.