New Highway 30

  • Structural
  • Light
  • Inert
  • Insulation
  • Civil Engineering

How to respond to the need to ensure a high stability and longevity of backfill for interchanges' approaches when the ground's bearing capacity is very weak because of clay?

  • Objective: Remplace 625 000 m3 (22 million ft3) of usual, heavy backfill (dirt and gravel) with Geofoam blocks (80 times lighter), are stable in compression and resistant to deterioration on a period of over 100 years.
  • Challenges:
    • Coordinate simultaneous delivery over a period of 3 years on 5 different sites of the New Highway 30, in the Montreal Area
    • Regularly ship of over 30 trucks of Geofoam per day
    • Insure the just-in-time delivery to the five sites at a constant and continuous pace
    • Ensure daily supplies to the factory of 50,000 kg of raw material over a period of three years, regardless of the market’s conditions
    • Elaborate and modify 3D layout plans in a very short time, based on the multiple specifications provided by the client (slopes, curves, junctions, etc.)
    • Facilitate the efficient unloading on site
    • Keep stocks of Geofoam in multiple buffer zones
    • Manage the last-minute changes to the delivery schedule, sometimes with less than a 24 hours notice
    • Keep track of the dimensional shrinking by considering the storage periods, varying between one week and a year
    • Ensure consistent quality assurance and foolproof traceability
    • Ensure an above-average compression resistance of 100 kPa at all times with minimal costs
    • Protect the blocks against surface deterioration caused by UV rays, for a period of up to a year preceding the burial
  • Solutions:
    • Construction of a reliable and automated production line, able to produce up to 50,000 m3 (1.77 million ft3) of Geofoam per month
    • Train teams of technicians and operators who can run the automated production line 24/7
    • Train an engineering group focused on the transcription of the spreading plans into quotes, as well as on the process control and on the sequential verification of the blocks’ mechanical properties, 24/7
    • Integrate a logistics coordinator to overview the perfect synchronization of the 5 sites’ needs, the just-in-time deliveries and the continuous production of the different types of blocks
    • Optimize the installation time and reduction of the on-site wastes by cutting 16 special block formats directly at the factory, eliminating both the need to cut on site and the waste management
    • Supply specific and detailed spreading plans that clearly indicate the positioning of each block, in every layer
    • Protect the blocks against the sun’s UV rays during storage by wrapping them with a UV stretch film
  • Result: The NA-30 consortium was able to complete the project on time and within budget. There was no delay in the deliveries over the 3-year period, and no extra cost were incurred. Some solutions suggested by Polymos even earned the client important savings. The success of this project has been a proof of Polymos’ expertise and reputation as a partner of choice for their services and their efficient delivery of Geofoam blocks for important roadwork projects.