US 76 SLOPE FAILURE
Laurens County, South Carolina
Approximately 2,500 feet of the US 76 embankment near North Rabon Creek in Laurens County was showing signs of distress. Via emergency procurement, SCDOT hired FME to explore the embankment distress, provide recommendations regarding the stability of the embankment, and develop emergency repair construction documents. Due to the project’s accelerated schedule and emergency nature, FME dedicated a substantial amount of manpower to the fast-track geotechnical exploration to quickly determine if US 76 should be closed or could remain open to traffic.
As part of the exploration, FME performed video inspections of the crossline pipe to evaluate the condition of the pipe and determine if it was contributing to the embankment distress. Additionally, FME performed a linear ground penetrating radar survey to determine if voids were present below the pavement surface. FME also installed 100 monuments on the side slopes of the embankment where distress was evident to establish if the embankment was showing movement trends associated with a global failure. FME’s geotechnical exploration and analyses revealed several factors contributing to the embankment distress.
Based on FME’s data and repair options, the preferred slope stabilization method selected was a combination of cantilevered sheet pile shoring and H-pile anchors and tie-backs. The selected slope stabilization repair and other associated work was subsequently advertised for bid and constructed.
PROJECT OWNER
South Carolina Department of Transportation
PROJECT COST
$1.5 million
SERVICES PROVIDED
- Subsurface Exploration
- Geophysical Testing
- Materials Laboratory Testing
- Geotechnical Instrumentation
- Slope Stability Analysis
- Pipe Inspection
