February 1, 2008
By Sergio Aguilar Escalante and Alfonso Sol“s Pimentel Abstract Beaches and coastal dunes at Las Coloradas, Mexico, were severely affected after Hurricane Wilma stormed through the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in October 2005. Dune destruction connected open sea with lagoon systems at some points, with disastrous consequences for the local ecosystems. The regional …
By Michael R. Simac, P. E., and Blaise J. Fitzpatrick, P. E. Introduction While segmental retaining walls (SRWs) have been routinely used for more than 15 years now, there are still three challenging issues facing owners considering their use. What is the best way to procure, design, and then build these structures to minimize short-term …
October 1, 2007
Introduction Development of the Maple Ridge Wind Farm required stability improvement to the subgrade of 26 miles of access roads to the locations of the farm’s wind turbines. A successful road design solution resulted following the installation of 463,000yds2 of geogrid. Project site The Maple Ridge Wind Farm near Lowville in upstate New York is …
By Michael R. Simac, P. E., and Blaise J. Fitzpatrick, P. E. Introduction While segmental retaining walls (SRWs) have been routinely used for more than 15 years now, there are still three challenging issues facing owners considering their use. What is the best way to procure, design, and then build these structures to minimize short-term …
June 1, 2007
Geosynthetic materials helped in offering a solution for the construction of temporary roads and group housing sites atop wet and soft soil conditions. By Lloyd W. Young Jr. and Robert E. Jordan Introduction The objective of this article is to describe the use of geosynthetics during the preparation of temporary group housing sites in southern …
The playing surface at Lambeau Field—home of the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers—has undergone a facelift this year. The $3 million makeover promises a new football field with the latest technology in natural turf plus the addition of synthetic reinforcement. DD GrassMaster, a natural grass surface reinforced with man-made fibers developed by Desso DLW …
April 1, 2007
The Norris Canyon Estates in San Ramon, Calif., east of San Francisco, are gaining a local presence not merely for luxury homes but also for the nearly half-million ft.2 of multiple-tiered retaining walls built throughout its challenging terrain. A location with 1:1 slope ratios and expansive clay soils required a major transformation to make the …
August 1, 2006
Ohio bridge builders use geosynthetic-reinforced soil technology. Build the bridge of the future better, faster, and for less money using geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) technology for abutments. Instead of a conventional bridge, supported on a pile-cap abutments, GRS technology uses alternating layers of compacted fill and sheets of geotextile reinforcement to provide support for the bridge. …
June 1, 2006
Turf reinforcement mat to the rescue in Riverside County. Master Drainage Plan, Line E, San Jacinto Basin This project had been planned to capture stormwater and excess agricultural flows during the Southern California rainy season, then reuse this water to replenish the area’s groundwater basin during times of drought. The 50-ft.-wide x 8,000-ft.-long, 12-ft.-deep channel …
