THE PROBLEM
There was a requirement to build economical wing walls for the road approach embankments and the spandrels of the new large diameter culvert bridge. The restricted mountainous terrain and variable climatic conditions required practical and safe construction.
THE SOLUTION
The Tensartech TW1 Wall Design & Supply structure consisted of pre-cast concrete modular facing blocks connected to Tensar uniaxial geogrids which were chosen for the wing walls and spandrel walls of the bridge, along with design and construction drawings from Tensar’s distributor.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The new road between Nová Bystrica and Orava Lesná is of major importance as it is a new link between the regions of Kysuce and Orava. The total road length is 9.5km and it passes through rugged mountainous terrain with an altitude of up to 350m. This road includes 11 bridges and numerous structures.
The Tensartech TW1 Wall System was selected for the approaches to bridge structure no. 204-00 due to its extensive track record, independently attested 120 year design life and ease of construction in difficult terrain. This reinforced soil system consists of attractive precast concrete facing blocks which are dry laid and can be hand placed. The blocks are securely attached using high-efficiency polymer connectors to horizontal layers of Tensar uniaxial geogrids which reinforce the soil mass.
The Tensartech TW1 Wall System was used to create parallel wing walls to the bridge and also the spandrels over the 10m radius flexible steel culvert of the bridge structure. The walls are double-sided (back-back) with a maximum height of 24m. For maximum economy the wall was designed with different strengths of uniaxial geogrids depending upon the retained height.
The project was executed by Strabag, who have stated that, “The final reinforcement structure project helped us to achieve cost savings in comparison with the original bridge structure”.
