Applications for Geosynthetics on Forest Service Low-Volume Roads

Abstract

Today’s geosynthetic products have many useful, creative, and cost-effective applications for rural, low-volume roads. In the management of almost a half-million km (quarter-million mi) of low-volume roads, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS), has developed and adopted many uses for geosynthetics. An overview is presented of many of those uses and their advantages. The USFS gained much of its experience and practice with geosynthetics while constructing a wide variety of Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls, including geotextile, timber, modular-block, and tire-faced structures, and reinforced soil slopes. More recently, the USFS has used geosynthetics for MSE bridge abutments and Deep Patch road-shoulder reinforcement. Other typical geosynthetic applications include filtration, drainage, subgrade reinforcement, and erosion control.