Project Name: Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Bridge Abutment
Project Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
GEOWEB 3D System Stabilizes Maintenance-Prone Ballast at Florida Bridge Abutment
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida operates 351 miles of mainline track along Florida’s east coast. FEC is the exclusive rail provider to South Florida’s ports and connects with other railway systems to move freight around the country.
A portion of FEC’s track along Griffin Road in Fort Lauderdale had been a high-maintenance area for many years due to high-impact loads from rail cars transitioning off of a concrete bridge abutment onto ballasted concrete ties placed over soft subgrade with a history of pumping. FEC required a solution to eliminate the maintenance area due to pumping of the soft subgrade.
GEOWEB® TRACK STABILIZATION SYSTEM
The GEOWEB system was selected by FEC based on Presto’s 30 years of rail industry use and independent testing conducted in 1998 at AAR FAST High Tonnage Loop in Pueblo, CO. The testing examined soft subgrade solutions for tracks subjected to heavy loads and determined that the GEOWEB load support system significantly improves load distribution, therefore reducing the vertical stresses reaching the subgrade. The system’s three-dimensional structure performs like a semi-rigid slab.
The end result is a more durable subgrade that increases railway life by preventing long-term settlement and consolidation. The ability to quickly install GEOWEB panels and limit the track downtime was critical in maintaining operations.
Resource Links: Read the Case Study More on Ballast Reinforcement Review the Research See Another FEC Project
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