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FHWA delivers largest federal highway apportionment in decades as part of infrastructure law funding

December 17th, 2021

The Arizona Department of Transportation used geosynthetic reinforced soil–integrated bridge system (GRS–IBS) technology to accelerate replacement of the Interstate 40 bridge at Meteor City Road, 15 miles (24 km) west of Winslow in northern Arizona. Photograph courtesy of FHWA The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Dec. 15, 2021, that it is […]

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Infrastructure funding remains uncertain

April 1st, 2019

Nearly a year has gone by since we published the June/July 2018 issue with a theme of “Geosynthetics Used in Highways and Bridges.” The editorial in that issue noted, “As of this writing, the White House and U.S. Congress are working on an infrastructure bill or bills after President Donald Trump released an infrastructure proposal […]

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Performance evaluation of a multi-span GRS–IBS

April 1st, 2019

The I-70 multi-span bridges (Figure 1) over Smith Road in Aurora, Colo., included design methodology changes that were classified as “experimental features,” and, thus, additional project funds were included for evaluation. In order to understand the geostructural performance of the multi-span geosynthetic reinforced soil–integrated bridge system (GRS–IBS), the abutment was instrumented with a vertical chain […]

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FHWA video features GRS–IBS history and construction techniques

October 5th, 2018

A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) YouTube video showcases the history and construction techniques of the geosynthetic reinforced soil–integrated bridge system (GRS–IBS). The video illustrates how to build a GRS–IBS. It is intended to educate designers, engineers, contractors and inspectors on the fundamentals of the GRS–IBS. The video follows the GRS–IBS Interim Implementation Guide (FHWA-HRT-11-026). The […]

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GeoDallas Watch: 2018 GeoDallas schedule announced

June 1st, 2018

June World Environmental & Water Resources Congress June 3–7 | Minneapolis, Minn. Hosted by the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress brings together the top environmental and water resources infrastructure professionals. Topics include erosion and sediment control, numerical modeling, hydraulic […]

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Monitoring the performance of Louisiana’s first GRS–IBS bridge

June 1st, 2018

Over the decades, soil mass reinforced by layers of geosynthetics has been used widely and successfully in a variety of earth structures, such as mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls, embankments, slopes and shallow foundations. Due to the proven benefits of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS), including cost-effectiveness, simple and fast construction, and tolerance of differential […]

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Final inspection: GRS–IBS bridge in place in 80 hours

June 1st, 2018

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) began work on the McCormick Quarry Bridge over Warren Avenue in East Providence on Sept. 23, 2016, using a geosynthetic reinforced soil–integrated bridge system (GRS–IBS). According to the Federal Highway Administration and RIDOT, the technique allowed crews to cut the closure time for the bridge from one year […]

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Geosynthetics need to be part of the infrastructure package

June 1st, 2018

In its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave U.S. infrastructure a grade of D+. Not good. The sector report card on American roads faired even worse, earning a D, while TRIP, a national transportation research group based in Washington, D.C., says 32% of major urban American roads had pavement […]

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County Road Association of Michigan honors innovation in GRS–IBS projects

April 12th, 2018

The County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan honored the state’s Midland County Road Commission (MCRC) with three IMPRESS Awards at CRA’s 2018 Annual Highway Conference in March, CRA announced April 10, 2018. IMPRESS Awards recognize county road agencies that demonstrate innovation with special projects in communications, operations and collaboration. “Our county road agencies are 110 […]

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Propex introduces PYRAWALL for walls and slopes

February 15th, 2018

In a press release on Feb. 13, 2018, Propex GeoSolutions announced the availability of PYRAWALLTM, an engineered wrap-face vegetated solution for constructing reinforced-earth walls and steepened slopes. The company said the system consists of PYRAMAT® 75 High Performance Turf Reinforcement Mat (HPTRM) and fiber-composite internal bracing, and with flexible setback and alignment, PYRAWALL can be […]

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