Stable and lasting roadway shoulders together with proper road conditions belong to the most significant factors contributing to road safety. In many countries in Europe long-time attempts have been made to solve this problem, appropriating funds to improve road safety.
According to German ADAC statistics 56 800 road accidents in which 2350 people died in 2005 were caused by unstable roadway shoulders. 150 geocell projects of reinforcing and modernizing roadway shoulders were completed in Germany in the years of 2006 and 2007 within as few as 20 months.
Such reinforced shoulder serves also well for safer cycling and pedestrian traffic. In addition to minimizing the risk significantly through a stable, resistant to lane grooves surface of controlled geometry, we can achieve economic effects through our technology as:
- Possible to use locally available compactable materials,
- Conventional subgrade is not required,
- The compact size of geosynthetic materials makes it good for transportation,
- Simple, technical methods can be used (standard plate compactors),
- Installation is fast (for example 3 persons can install more than 200 running meters per working shift).
Benefits of Cellular Confinement System on Erosion Control / Roadway Shoulder areas :
- Distributes loads laterally and reduces vertical deflection and subgrade contact pressures,
- Significantly minimizes surface rutting,
- When confined, base material requirements can be reduced by 50% or more by substantially reducing the loading on sub-surface soils,
- Controls shearing and lateral movement of the coarse and permeable infill material,
- With open aggregate infill, reduces storm water runoff and creates on-site water detention/retention basin,
- Does not require deep-soil excavation which significantly reduces costs,
- Easy to install even in difficult conditions,
- Installation does not require heavy duty equipment and small dimensions during transportation can also reduce costs,
- Reduces high stresses on the subbase as a result of the vertical load distribution on lateral distribution,
- Reduces vertical deflections, minimizing down-slope migration of particles,
- Minimizes impact of differential and overall settlement even on low-strength subgrades,
- The perforated system facilitates natural drainage and provides greater resistance to upward displacement caused by freeze/thaw cycles.