An uneven and unstable roadside is not just an aesthetic problem. It's a real traffic safety hazard for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike. Traditionally, roadsides are reinforced with crushed aggregate or asphalt, but such solutions They often fail in heavy rainfall or heavy loads.
According to the latest analysis of road safety in Poland, upgrading roadsides has been identified as one of the key factors in improving road infrastructure safety. Properly designed and paved shoulders increase the stability of the road surface, improve road drainage and reduce the risk of losing grip and running off the road. This is an element that has a direct impact not only on driving comfort, but most importantly on the safety of all traffic participants.
How to permanently and effectively harden the roadside? Increasingly, modern geosynthetics are being used, such as cellular geonets, which combine high load-bearing capacity with simplicity of installation and economy of construction. This solution, already used in many countries around the world, allows not only to improve safety, but also to reduce the cost of operation and maintenance of infrastructure.
In this article:
- You will learn what the technology of reinforcing the roadside with cellular geo-grid is all about;
- You will see how its structural cross-section looks in practice;
- You will learn the assembly process - step by step;
- You will check the effects on examples of investments we have made.
Roadside hardening with cellular geo-grid - key advantages
Roadside reinforcement using cellular geo-grid is a solution to permanently stabilize the soil and evenly transfer loads from the road surface to the ground. The structure of the geo-grid, made of HDPE polyethylene strips, forms a three-dimensional arrangement of cells that, when filled with backfill material, act as a stabilizing system.
As a result, the roadside layer gains:
- greater carrying capacity,
- Resistance to rutting and soil leaching,
- Uniform distribution of pressures from vehicle traffic,
- Better drainage of water from the pavement.
Importantly, cellular geo-grid can be used both in upgrading existing roads and during construction of new sections, especially where there are low bearing capacity soils or erosion risks.
Example of construction cross-section of roadside with cellular geo-grid
A properly designed structural section of a roadside is the key to its durability and functionality. Depending on the width of the roadside (usually 1.0 m or 1.5 m) and the type of underlying soil, the design may include:
1. Cut-off layer - Non-woven geotextile with a strength between 16-25 kN/m, laid overlapping, which separates the native soil from the base layer.
2. GEOMAXX or SMARTMAXX cellular geonet - with a height of about 20 cm, with the smallest cell size, for example, 203 x 246 mm. When unfolded, it is anchored in the ground and filled with backfill material.
3. Backfill layer - Non-friable soil or aggregate mixture, compacted to a thickness of 25 cm (Is ≥ 0.98 index).
4 Such a cross-section ensures stability even under loads of 115 kN per axle, while reducing the thickness of traditional substructures and the cost of transporting material.
Let's take a look at how cellular geo-grid roadside construction works in practice:
Roadside hardening step by step
The process of installing the cellular geo-grid is quick and can be carried out with standard construction equipment. An example sequence of work is as follows:
1. substrate preparation
- Removal of the humus layer,
- The construction of a trench with a depth of 25 cm,
- Leveling the surface and laying a geotextile cut-off fabric.
2. installation of cellular geo-grid
- Unfold sections of geo-grid to nominal dimensions,
- Anchoring with finned rods fi 8 in the shape of the letter „J” (about 1.3 anchors/m²),
- Connecting adjacent sections with cable ties every second cell.
3. filling and compaction
- Backfill the cells with soil or aggregate with an overburden of min. 50 mm,
- Compaction to the required index (Is ≥ 0.98),
- Maintain a top layer of min. 10 mm,
- For aggregates with rounded grains, it is recommended to add 40-45% sand, which increases stability and improves layer compaction.
4. completion and control of implementation
- Checking the evenness of the surface,
- Replenish the top layer,
- Checking the compaction and geometry of the roadside.
Why use cellular geo-grids for hardening roadsides?
The use of cellular geonets is a solution that brings both technical and economic benefits:
- reduces the thickness of the substructure by as much as 50%,
- allows the use of local backfill materials,
- Reduces transportation costs and execution time,
- Improves safety and sustainability of infrastructure,
- Supports sustainable resource management (less waste, smaller carbon footprint).
Examples of implementations using cellular geonets
Cellular geonets have been used for years in the modernization of provincial, district and municipal roads in Poland and other European Union countries. This solution works especially well:
- At soil roadsides prone to leaching,
- In areas with large height differences or slopes,
- On sections where fast and permanent reinforcement is required without interfering with the roadway.
Do you have a similar design challenge? Contact the team at Geo Globe Poland. We can help you find a solution that combines sustainability, economy and ecology.
Do you have any questions? Contact the Geo-Globe experts!
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