Heavy rains have led to issues with ditches washing out in Chattooga County, Georgia. It was time for a long-term solution. Read on to learn how ITL RCR® solved roadway washout for a small town in Georgia.
For many years the Department of Public Works would have to build up 850 feet of ditch after any heavy rains. This continued issue was very costly for several reasons, including labor, machinery, material, and having the road shut down. This road, used frequently by school buses and local traffic, had to be repaired immediately after every heavy rain. It was time for a new, long-term solution.
What is ITL Reinforced Concrete Roll®?
ITL Reinforced Concrete Roll® is a dry powdered cement mix that is needle-punched between two sheets of non-woven polypropylene. When rolled out and hydrated, ITL RCR® takes shape into a durable structure suitable for reinforcement or protective lining.
What Are Some of The Benefits of Choosing RCR®?
ITL Reinforced Concrete Roll® is a friendlier solution to conventional erosion control methods such as traditional concrete, shotcrete, grout blankets, and riprap.
Putting RCR® Into Action to Repair Roadside Washout
The process to install the RCR® material is straightforward. RCR® can be unrolled and cut to size by using a utility knife. After the RCR® material was cut to size, it was slid into position by hand and pinned into place. For this project, rebar pins with plates welded to the top were used to anchor RCR® into the bank (landscaping stakes or earth anchors would have also been acceptable). It took one day to complete the RCR® lining of approximately 850 feet of ditch, including the customized fitting of the RCR® to existing culverts. Once the RCR® lining was in place, the product was fully hydrated.
After completing the RCR® installation, our customer chose to widen this section of road. Hot asphalt was used to resurface the road, serving as another adherence point for RCR® on the road side of the installation. This also created a smooth, secure transition. In the following days, the rains came, and the RCR® material carried the water away without any degradation of the roadside.
The County of Chattooga in Georgia will save several thousands of dollars in reconstruction costs in the next several years. The RCR® material comes with a 30-year manufacturer’s warranty and has a life expectancy of 50 years. ITL RCR® is considered a greener solution attributed to less environmental disruption, less labor, less prep work, and fewer resources used over traditional concrete.
Take into consideration the savings and ease of installation using ITL RCR® Reinforced Concrete Roll® and reach out to one of our experts to find out how your next project can be faster, easier, and greener!
Editor's Note: Scranton Gillette Communications and the SGC Infrastructure Group are not liable for the accuracy, efficacy and validity of the claims made in this piece. The views expressed in this content do not reflect the position of the Roads & Bridges' Editorial Team.
