Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85910
out – State Route 7 in Maury County was an- other story. "We had a road riding on the side of a ridge, and all of the earth got saturated," says Degges. "There was a great big earthslide." The slide was about 300 feet along the center line of the road, but it slid about 1,000 feet into the valley, he says. "We had 300 feet by 1,000 feet of unstable Flooding in Tennessee's Maury County caused a massive landslide along State Route 7. The collapsed roadway involved nearly 1,500 feet, with the road sinking about 20 feet below its original elevation soil," Degges points out. "When you have a big fail- ure like this, you have to know how deep down it is moving. It was 40 feet down and was moving. For us to build the road back, we would have had to dig up all of the dirt, rebuild and then compact it in a stable form." As the state agency was going through the process of coming up with cost estimates to NON-CONDUCTIVE PIPE ROLLERS BRIDGE CROSSINGS Prevent the passing of current from the pipeline to bridge structure, rebars, etc. * Free catalogue of pipeline Bridge Crossing Products. n n n n n n Maintain same support strength of pipe hanger system. Eliminate chafing and rusting pipe caused by iron rolls. Eliminate electrical grounding of the pipeline to the bridge. Eliminate insulating joints at each end of bridge, and include the suspended line as part of a cathodically protected pipeline, i.e. continuity of cathodic protection. Absorb vibration from traffice or other sources, saving wear and tear on pipe hanger parts. Highest specification polyurethane compound is cast around an integral steel sleeve to form a full length bearing for the axle. n Direct replacement for cast iron roll. P.O. Box 540 Westtown, PA 19395 Fax 610-344-7519 610-696-9220 ncroll.comLB&A, INC. Write 179 on Reader Service Card 38 February 2012 Better Roads LB&A_BR0211.indd 1 1/6/11 10:18 AM conduct these procedures, the numbers were com- ing in at about the $15-million range. "Moving and compacting that amount of earth in today's financial climate is very expensive," Degges says. That's when he proposed to his staff the idea of just rolling dirt, draining it and then only stabilizing the areas where the piers for a bridge would be. By choosing to drain, stabilize and compact specific areas, and build a bridge instead of rebuilding the roadway, Degges says TDOT was able to save about one-third of the cost, bringing the outlay down to about $10 million. The job also qualified for emergency relief funds, with TDOT expected to receive about 80-percent reimbursement. Nearly $40 million in emergency relief funds was made available for damage span- ning 50 to 60 percent of the state of Tennessee. The May 2010 floods caused millions of dollars in damage to the state's transportation infrastructure. TDOT worked with the Tennessee Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to quickly initiate contracts and complete repairs to numer- ous roads and bridges across the state. The FHWA (at publication time) had reimbursed TDOT for $39 million in flood-related repairs, with $1.8 million of those funds dispersed to local governments. For public assistance projects that are eventually approved: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay 75 percent of the cost. The remain- ing 25 percent is split between the state and local government. These projects may include such things as debris removal, emergency services related to the severe storms and flooding, and repairing or replac- ing damaged public facilities. "Working in the public sector, we have a fidu- ciary responsibility to try to use the tools available to us and the best solution at the lowest price," Degges says. "I'm a structures guy. When you get a fill taller than 35 feet, it starts getting cost-effective