5/3/2023 0 Comments Iron grids![]() ![]() Uniaxial geogrid provides tensile stiffness and strength mainly in one planar direction. Geogrid can be split into three broad categories: uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial. Geotechnical components, such as geogrids and geotextiles, steel anchorages, concrete materials, and drainage features are improvements within geotechnical assets that help the asset perform as expected during routine loading as well as extreme events (NCHRP Project 24-46). In Minnesota the geotechnical assets include the embankments, slopes, retaining walls and constructed subgrades that contribute to the performance of our transportation system. This project received the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies 2018 Research Partnership Award because it demonstrated a successful partnership that is encouraging a culture of innovation by patiently and persistently implementing new technology. The project promotes innovative practices that reduce costs and improve project delivery, and was made possible by the helpful participation of a technical advisory panel with members representing the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and MnDOT, technical liaison Bruce Tanquist, student interns Amy Guo and Joe Casanova, Braun Intertec, Ingios Geotechnics, Itasca Consulting Group, Tensar International, and many university professors and graduate students. The project is an example of actions recommended by the American Society of Civil Engineers to raise the grade of roadway infrastructure in Minnesota. The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) is implementing innovative technology by utilizing geogrid to enhance geotechnical asset performance. Geosynthetics have been used successfully in several areas, including Minnesota TH 72, pictured above. The Minnesota DOT contends with several unique road challenges that the geogrid project is intended to help address, among them areas previously covered by glaciers, former wagon trails with substandard native soil materials and roads constructed over what was once swampland. More effective innovation deployment has the potential to mitigate some of these negative consequences by demonstrating a renewed effort to maintain and improve our shared roadway assets. Effective innovation deployment can enhance infrastructure investment outcomes and help us avoid adverse financial consequences such as wasted labor, wasted energy and wasted resources.Īdditional consequences resulting from ineffective infrastructure investment are inadequate roadway maintenance, reduced public confidence in our stewardship and a lessening of the public’s willingness to provide additional investment through increased taxes. By demonstrating a renewed good-faith effort to deploy innovative solutions, transportation organizations do their part to enhance service delivery and improve the condition of our transportation infrastructure. ![]() Government must always look for better ways to complete its fundamental mission to be good stewards of the assets entrusted to them by the people they serve. Including a broader array of assets is necessary because all of today’s transportation needs cannot be met with yesterday’s technologies, practices and policies. Transportation agencies need to look beyond the two traditional asset categories to better understand the impact of all assets on the transportation system in order to manage them responsibly and cost effectively. To achieve long-term performance, it is important that our federal laws encourage other assets to be considered (NCHRP Project 24-46). ![]() In addition, because pavement and bridge conditions traditionally receive much of the media attention and legislative directives, the value and performance of other critical assets may not always get the attention they deserve. However, these legacy organizations are generally not as well-suited to effectively implement new ideas which optimize the operation of the system our nation requires today. The DOTs have proven to be very efficient constructors because their organizational structures and processes were optimized to apply existing standards efficiently. One of the major reasons why the DOTs were created was to design and construct our interstate highways. MAP-21 and Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST Act) are federal laws expected to improve past practice, enhance stewardship of our transportation infrastructure, and deliver a sustainable transportation system that supports prosperity and opportunity. It called on them to institutionalize asset management and performance standards as they implement innovative technologies, practices, and policies. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) is the federal law that lit a fire under state departments of transportation. By: John Siekmeier, P.E., and Jim Bittmann, P.E.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |