Video - Pile Supported Road Construction

Authors
Rob Udy
Lorne McNeilly
Resource Date:
January
2016

Traditional road construction techniques may not be adequate when crossing wetlands due to the difficulty in maintaining connectivity. Pile supported road construction techniques allow wetlands to function naturally while providing bearing capacity for heavy industrial traffic. Landmark Solutions Ltd. will share its experience driving timber piles to support arch footings, bridge abutments and road sections where fine-textured or organic soils are encountered. Landmark will examine a case study where open water was crossed using a series of timber pile reinforced piers and short span bridges using single heading construction. This project utilized access mats to cap the timber piles as well as geosynthetic reinforced soils (GRS) contained within plastic sheet piling to form the abutments and piers. The resulting all-season road is rated to support CL 800 loading and is performing well after the first year of use. Building on its muskeg experience, Landmark will also discuss the possibility of a continuous causeway designed with minimal fill on top of piles and caps, effectively creating an elevated road and providing uninterrupted wetland function while achieving specified road design requirements.