GEOTERRA Construction Mats

Project Name: Dickey Stephens Park

Project Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

FLOODING, DRAINAGE SYSTEM LEAD TO SINKHOLES

A combination of recent flooding and the park’s drainage system led to multiple sinkholes in the right, left, and center fields at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. Dickey-Stephens Park is home to the AA minor league Arkansas Travelers—an Anaheim Angels farm team.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Connelly of the Earth Sciences Department at UALR, the ballpark—located near the Arkansas River—experiences higher than normal groundwater levels beneath it because it sits below street level.

THE CITY PREPARED FOR EXPECTED REPAIR

The French drainage system installed underneath the field pumps the water out of the area. Unfortunately, soil, silt, and sand were also being washed into the drainage system and pumped out from underneath the field, leaving voids that created sinkholes.

The sinkholes were a recurring problem for over seven years, and ultimately repairs were approved with funds earmarked for the project.

HEAVY-DUTY PERFORMANCE

According to the Project Engineer, D. Chris Wilbourn, the GEOTERRA mats worked well for this project. The GEOTERRA mats supported the traffic from track hoes, front-end loaders, concrete trucks, and haul trucks as they operated continuously for over a month. Over 250 haul trucks carrying 16 to 18 cubic yards of material per truck accessed the mats.

High-strength HP270 geotextile fabric was placed under the GEOTERRA mats for additional soil bridging, as the soils on site were very soft due to recent heavy rains.

MATS ARE REMOVED, STORED FOR FUTURE USE

About half of the GEOTERRA mat sections were removed and moved to storage for reuse on later projects. Diamond Construction, the contractor using the GEOTERRA mats, was impressed with its performance.

Information excerpted from Jordan Bontke, KATV-Little Rock