Use of geosynthetics to reduce the required right-of-way for roadways and railways

Abstract

Roadway and railway routes require a right-of-way (ROW) to provide the necessary width for the required travelled way, drainage and earthwork. Correct understanding of ROW along a route is necessary in order to establish a correct width for the intended transportation corridor. Availability of land becomes scarce and cost of land increases in urban zones. Therefore, the costs of establishing a ROW in rural areas and in urban areas are not the same. Earthworks are an important component of route establishment. The required excavations and fills necessitate the use of proper side slopes for the stability of the excavation or the fill. These side slopes directly relate to the mechanical properties of the soil and the depth of the earthwork. This study provides a quantitative and a qualitative understanding of the ROW requirements of roadways and railways and the influence of the earthworks on the determined values of the ROW. The study further investigates the benefits of using geogrids to reduce the necessary ROW for a transportation route through finite element analysis.