Columbus, Ohio
2004
ECO designed and directed a pre-excavation soil grouting program to stabilize the soils below the US23 artery (just South of Columbus) prior to tunneling. A multiple hole, multiple injection pass pre-excavation grouting program was designed and implemented above the planned tunnel trajectory. The multiple hole, multiple pass grouting program, which was executed by the joint venture Jay Dee-Michels-Traylor, consisted of injecting regular cement and sodium silicate based grouts utilizing permeation in conjunction with hydrofracturing grouting techniques. The CAGES NS grouting system was utilized to monitor, assess and evaluate the grouting operation in real-time. The tunnel had an outside diameter of 20 feet. Only 4 steel sleeve pipes were necessary to create a continuous, reinforced grouted soil arch. Each sleeve pipe was grouted 3-5 times, alternating between sodium silicate and cement based suspension grout. The grouting program allowed for the tunnel to be mined without causing any settlement to the highway, nor causing any interference with the traffic. URS was the consulting engineers on the project.