Slaking and dispersive soils cause problems for infrastructure, as they are highly susceptible to erosion. They pose substantial risks to the in-service performance of the Queensland road network.
Their use will impact on the durability of road assets, the safety to road users, and the costs incurred for maintenance and repairs during the life of the road.
In addition, erosion of dispersive soils is a major contributor to sediment loads in waterways. It affects the health of sensitive downstream ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef.
TMR has, through recent research, sought to provide more guidance on identifying and managing these high-risk soils in design, construction and during the service life of roads.
This has been done by introducing a new Technical Note and adding new specification requirements for their acceptance, amelioration and management.
The aim of this presentation is to review the risks associated with these soils, how they can be mitigated against, and discuss TMR’s new earthworks specification requirements.
