Geofoam used in Kentucky road rehab

An innovative highway rehabilitation project in northern Kentucky has utilized a geofoam fill system to stabilize the roadbed. The project was unusual because of a new approach to stopping chronic road slippage.

A 1-mile stretch of Kentucky Highway 8 in Campbell County was bolstered with geofoam instead of infill dirt to prevent slippage. Geofoam, used in place of soil and rock, took the weight off the top of the slide to prevent future movement, according to the Kentucky transportation officials.

The roadbed was filled with huge blocks of geofoam, a sturdy geosynthetic compound similar in consistency to a foam drinking cup. The technique has been used successfully elsewhere across the U.S. but is being tried in northern Kentucky for the first time.

The soil beneath the road is subject to flood damage, though the Ohio River has never risen to the road level in modern times. Harsh weather interrupted the project last winter. But after hot asphalt plants reopened in Kentucky this spring, the contractor finished pouring asphalt, and plans to complete all grading, seeding, striping, and shoulder work this summer.