Dumb question from someone not privy to the sausage-making, err, code-making process: What's the point of the encasement? I can't see how RMC by itself would be measurably less safe than RMC encased in concrete. In theory, sure, anything in 2" of concrete is more protected than the same thing without the concrete. But, in practice, RMC is practically indestructible, absent a structural collapse or vehicle impact.
