Project Name: Fort Foster
Project Location: Kittery, ME
In the spring of 2018, several storms violently swept through areas along southern Maine’s coastline, devastating the beaches and trails of Fort Foster—a town-owned park in Maine. Known as “nor’easters,” these destructive storms form along the east coast, bringing strong winds, rain, and flooding to the New England states. As the storms rolled past, the damage was visible to Fort Foster and Kittery Point’s 2.1-mile-long shoreline walking trail and maintenance road, as well as on the slopes leading down to the beach areas. The shoreline trail is a popular destination for walking, nature trips, bird watching, and sunset views over the water, making its repair a priority for park officials.
The park’s goal was to repair the damage and protect the slopes, maintenance road, and recreational trail from future storm damage. The GEOWEB® 3D Soil Stabilization System was the perfect solution.
Two sections of the park needed their shorelines and trails restored and protected—one was the Large Beach area (702 LF), and the other was the Dive Beach area (577 LF).
GEOWEB® Load Support for Recreational Trail and Maintenance Road
To reconstruct the washed-out recreational trail and maintenance road, 4-inch-depth GEOWEB panels were installed at the site. GEOWEB panels are expandable honeycomb-like structures that confine and stabilize soils, creating a long-term, sustainable solution that holds up to severe weather events and can support heavy traffic loads. Individual GEOWEB panels were connected using the ATRA® Key Connection Device and anchored using 18-inch ATRA GFRP Anchors, prior to being infilled with 1-inch crushed aggregate.
GEOWEB® Shoreline Protection
To stabilize the 2:1 sloped areas down to the beaches, 4-inch-depth GEOWEB sections were secured to the face of the slope using ATRA GFRP Anchors. ATRA® Anchors provide additional anchorage and resistance to sliding and/or uplift forces to the GEOWEB section with or without tendons for crest, toe, and internal anchoring. The GEOWEB sections were placed over a geotextile separation layer and then infilled with 1-inch crushed aggregate.
By using the GEOWEB System, the park was able to armor the maintenance road, recreational trail, and slopes from future storm events. Since its original installation in 2018, the GEOWEB Load Support & Shoreline Protection System continues to perform as designed, allowing the community to once again enjoy the trail system and local beaches.
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