GEOWEB 3D CONFINEMENT SYSTEM REINFORCES ACTIVE HEAVY LOAD AREAS AT CSX RAIL LAYDOWN YARD
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The CSX Charleston, SC Intermodal terminal aggregate surface lot required base reinforcement due to poor subgrade conditions. The two areas included one area to support 120,000 pound reach stackers lifting and moving 10,000 pound containers and an existing grass area to support empty chassis parking.
GEOWEB® LOAD SUPPORT SOLUTION
CSX Project Engineer Wendi Leanhardt contacted Staci Smith, PE, Regional Engineer for ACF Environmental for assistance and solutions to stabilize a soft sub base for the container yard facilities. Wendi, Staci and Bryan Wedin, P.E., Chief Design Engineer for Presto Geosystems, worked together to develop a solution. CSX obtained geotechnical information on the site’s soils to 1) determine if it could be used for the GEOWEB infill and 2) assess the current base stability of each site.
DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Presto Geosystems provided separate design recommendations for the reach stacker and chassis parking areas utilizing the on-site material which eliminated the need to haul in select fill. Each design was calculated factoring in the sub base type/strength, loading weight, and frequency of traffic.
ECONOMICAL AND EFFICIENT SOLUTION SHORTENS DOWNTIME, REDUCES MAINTENANCE
Eliminating the need to import costly fill, the downtime of the yard was significantly reduced which was especially important due to the high volume of tractor trailers the facility handles on a daily basis.
The reach stacker area used a high strength woven geotextile, three inches of aggregate base, GEOWEB GW30V6 (mid-size cell, 6 inch deep) sections and two-inch wearing surface. The chassis parking area utilized a high strength woven geotextile and GEOWEB GW30V6 sections with a two inch wearing surface. Both areas will have minimal maintenance to maintain the surface.
In both locations, the GEOWEB sections were anchored with ten, 18-inch long No. 4 rebar capped with Presto’s patented ATRA® Stake Clips.
TOTAL GEOWEB-REINFORCED PROJECT:
A total of 1.75 acres of laydown yard was stabilized with the GEOWEB Cellular Confinement System in May of 2015. As of December 2015, the areas were functioning according the requirements set by CSX.