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Building bridges the geosynthetic-reinforced soil way

June 1, 2010

From Defiance County, Ohio, to Yamhill County, Oregon, building bridges using geosynthetic-reinforced soil is gaining popularity for its effectiveness, efficiency, and time-saving simplicity. This methodology was first featured in Geosynthetics in August 2006, with a follow-up in April 2008. Defiance County Engineer Warren Schlatter and his crews, with initial assistance from the Federal Highway Administration …

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New wall repairs erosion damage, widens road

February 1, 2010

Introduction The main objectives of this project were to build a retaining wall to support a road and to create more room for the width of the road, especially at the turn. Potential problems A primary goal was the repairing and widening of an existing 4m- (13ft)-wide road to 5m (15.5ft). In addition, the roadbed …

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Welding help for the Guangzhou Metro

October 7, 2009

A major urban rail project in southeast China uses new welders to get the job done on time. By Christophe von Arx Introduction Guangzhou, previously known as Canton, is a thriving city in the southeast of China with an estimated population of more than 10 million, with an estimated 15 million living in the entire …

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Innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements

By Robert Rasmussen and Sabrina Garber Introduction Recent research published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), “Nonwoven Geotextile Interlayers for Separating Cementitious Pavement Layers: German Practice and U.S. Field Trials”1 focuses on innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements. In May 2006, representatives from FHWA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials …

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Silver anniversary: the Tanque Verde retaining walls

By Ryan R. Berg, P.E., and Ronald P. Anderson, P.E. Introduction Some days it seems like we have been designing and constructing concrete-faced, geosynthetic-reinforced, mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls forever, and that this technique of constructing MSE walls has always been a conventional solution to grade separation projects. Certainly today, geogrid-reinforced walls with drycast concrete …

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West Valley TRAX project to use an estimated 1,846,000ft3 of geofoam

August 27, 2009

Salt Lake City’s West Valley TRAX project, commissioned by the Utah Transit Authority, is the nation’s second-largest geofoam project, with an anticipated total of 1,846,000ft3 of ACH Geofoam installed along the light-rail tracks. Geofoam was selected in place of soil to save time and money constructing the embankment, which is up to 50ft high in …

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Geosynthetics at Flurry Bog

June 1, 2009

Piled embankment design, construction,and monitoring for A1/N1 dual-roadway By Wyatt Orsmond Introduction The A1/N1 section of highway between Newry and Dundalk forms part of a strategic transportation link between Belfast and Dublin. This section includes 14.5km (9mi.) of high-quality, dual-carriageway (divided-highway) construction and was challenged by a tight route corridor threaded between steep mountains and …

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Project helps open Pennsylvania freeway

April 1, 2009

Design/build pyrite remediation project using geosynthetics. By Archie Filshill Introduction The Pennsylvania DOT’s Interstate-99/S.R. 6220 project extends from the village of Bald Eagle to the Mount Nittany Expressway (U.S. 322) in Centre County, just west of State College. The project involved the construction of a four-lane, limited-access highway with four interchanges and approximately 18 miles …

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TenCate Geosynthetics wins 2008 Award of Excellence for Geosynthetic Projects

February 1, 2009

The award is part of the 2008 International Achievement Awards presented by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). Abstract This project upgraded an existing, narrow rural road to a British Columbia Ministry of Transportation (BCMoT) standard 8m-wide, gravel surface road. About 85m of the existing road crossed a stream and swamp area located between 2 …

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Geosynthetics and the new I-35W Bridge

October 1, 2008

Examples of the geosynthetic materials used on the I-35W project. By Ron Bygness, and courtesy of Flatiron Corp., Maccaferri Inc., and MnDOT Construction of the Interstate-35W Bridge, which collapsed in catastrophic fashion on Aug. 1, 2007, was completed ahead of schedule, and reopened on Sept. 18, 2008. Geosynthetic materials of all types were used in …