U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| Project Information | ||
| Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-11-0107 | |
| Project Name: | Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Timber Bridge: A Sustainable Bridge Construction for Low-Volume Roads | |
| Project Status: | Programmed | |
| Start Date: | April 2, 2012 | |
| End Date: | December 31, 2014 | |
| Contact Information | ||
| Last Name: | Jalinoos | |
| First Name: | Frank | |
| Telephone: | 202-493-3082 | |
| E-mail: | frank.jalinoos@dot.gov | |
| Office: | Office of Infrastructure Research and Development | |
| Team: | Hazard Mitigation Team [HRDI-50] | |
| Program: | IRT (Infrastructure Research and Technology) | |
| Laboratory: | J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Laboratory | |
| Project detail | ||
| Roadmap/Focus area(s): | Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap | |
| Project Description: | Members of the Hazard Mitigation and Bridge and Foundation Engineering teams at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) will work together to demonstrate the feasibility of a single-span demonstration/test bridge combining the geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS), Integrated Bridge System (IBS), and timber superstructure design. The project will showcase the use of renewable materials of engineered soils and woods in bridge construction. The team will collaborate with the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance the construction of rapid and inexpensive single-span timber bridges. | |
| Goals: |
The objectives of this project are to:
(1) Investigate the compatibility of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge design with a timber superstructure.
2) Field test, when possible, newer wood preservatives.
3) Monitor performance of the GRS-timber bridge system.
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| Background Information: | The project will demonstrate the feasibility of the engineered wood/soil/rock bridge technologies and showcase the use of sustainable building products. The proposed short-span (typically less than 80 ft (24 m)) geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) timber bridge will be ideal for rural road construction, which will deploy a local workforce. | |
| Field Test: | Field monitoring research in cooperation with the Forest Products Laboratory. | |
| Product Type: | Research report Techbrief Technical report | |
| Test Methodology: | The team at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center will collaborate with the Forest Products Laboratory for the performance monitoring of geosynthetic reinforced soil timber in laboratory and the field. | |
| Expected Benefits: | The benefits of the GRS-Timber bridges include: Accelerated bridge construction (ABC)higher speed of construction, typically 10 days start to finish. Jointless integral bridge construction, eliminating the bump at the end of the bridge and cracking due to thermal cycles and deterioration due to corrosion. Use of nonspecialized local workforce. Use of simple machinery, mitigating the requirements for heavy construction equipment for concreting or steel erection. Ideal bridge construction technology for small span off-system local bridges. Construction that is weather independent. Simplified bridge plans. Reduced construction and likely maintenance/life-cycle costs. | |
| Deliverables: | Name: Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Timber Bridge. Product Type(s): Research report, Techbrief, Technical report Description: The product is monitoring research in cooperation with the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) that will include a research report. | |
| FHWA Topics: | Roads and Bridges--Geotechnical | |
| TRT Terms: | Bridge Construction Geosynthetics Wooden Bridges Research Bridges Infrastructure Soils |
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| FHWA Disciplines: | Construction and Project Management Design Environment Geotechnical Structures |
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| Subject Areas: | Bridges and other structures Construction Design Geotechnology Highways |
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