Innovative Technology for Accelerated Construction of Bridge and Embankment Foundations in Europe

Chapter Seven: Conclusions and Recommendations for Implementation

The overall goal of the scan trip was to implement technologies of best practice. With this objective clearly in mind, an implementation ranking was developed using the following two-step process:

1. The team as a whole reviewed and discussed each technology with respect to its potential for accelerating construction.
2. Each team member selected the two technologies for which he had the strongest desire to champion implementation.

The technologies that were selected for immediate implementation action are

• Column-supported embankments
• CFA and CSP bridge foundations
• Automated computer installation control and installation documentation
• Self-compacting concrete

Many of the other technologies listed in the tables show great promise, but successful implementation requires a champion. In addition, given the diversity of the team members (contractor, consultant, DOT, Federal, geotechnical and structural engineers, academia), the ranking should be an excellent indicator of the accelerated technologies preferences of the highway construction community as a whole.

Therefore, the above list is not necessarily a ranking of technologies with the greatest technical potential for accelerating construction. Instead, it is a list of European accelerated construction technologies with the greatest potential for implementation in the United States. This type of focused selection should ensure that our resources are not diluted.

IMPLEMENTATION

At the end of the tour, team members reviewed an implementation plan, which consists of:

1. Presentations on new technologies, as identified in the body of this report, at engineering meetings.
2. Invited equipment demonstrations by manufacturers.
3. Cooperative efforts with European organizations.
4. Local efforts by team members to use the technologies within their organizations on demonstration projects.

A Scan Technology Implementation Plan team was organized to develop a request for seed funding to assist in the implementation efforts for specific, high-priority technologies. Several proposals have already been developed for advancing the implementation of these technologies, and several others are in progress. For example, the Office of Research, Development, and Technology has initiated an FHWA-led Pooled Fund study entitled “Geosynthetic Reinforced Pile Supported Embankment” based on the positive responses received from a number of states. In addition, the National Deep Mixing (NDM) Cooperative Research program, a consortium of 10 States, Federal government, and the private sector, initiated several applied research projects, including Development of Design Charts for Geosynthetically Reinforced Deep Mixed Columns; Design Guidelines for Excavation Support by Deep Mixing; and Design Guidelines for Embankments on Deep Mixed Columns. Moreover, three Swedish reports of EuroSoilStab on deep mixing technology were translated into English in a collaborative effort between the Swedish Geotechnical Institute and the NDM program. Partnering with FHWA, the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC), and Auburn University, the South Carolina DOT has also applied for an Innovative Bridge Research and Construction (IBRC) grant for using SCC in drilled shaft foundations.