SLOPE PROTECTION WORKS AND ROAD WIDENING OF STRETCHES AT NH59 IN DARINGIBADI, ODISHA

RUPAK SARKAR

2019 – 2020

• Reinforced Earth India
  (Reinforced Earth
  India Pvt. Ltd.)
• Kalinga Institute of
  Technology (KIIT)

In October 2018, During the cyclone Titli due heavy rainfall ,landslide occur near Ch 239+000 of the National Highway 59, which is about about 17 Kms away from Daringibadi in Odisha . NH – 59 is an important highway as it connects Khariar and Brahmapur via Daringibadi in the state of Odisha.

After the landslide there was a shortening of the carriageway width and the valley side slope had become quite vulnerable. This route has heavy traffic flow and hence PWD(NH) wanted the slope of the valley side to be protected along with increase of carriageway width on valley side. For this job KIIT was appointed as DPR consultant for a feasible solution. KIIT chose Reinforced Earth India as their technology partner.

KIIT and Reinforced Earth India proposed soil nailing for stabilising the slope on valley side and Reinforced Earth® wall with galvanised mesh facing for increasing the carriageway width from top and to minimise the backfill soil and space requirement.

This Project had couple of challenges.

Firstly, the site was located at a remote location with no network availability in the surrounding 15 Km radius, hence communication was a key issue.

Secondly, there no space available for movement of heavy machineries. The entire process of dumping, carrying of backfill soil and all other nailing and RE wall accessories had to be done manually, which led to a lot of manpower requirement and time.

Thirdly, this zone was prone to heavy rainfall and sometimes it is extremely difficult to carry on works during heavy rains. Also, the drainage facilities of the whole system had to be appropriate to prevent any water stagnation and further collapses.

Fourthly, due to lack of local transport available in that region, the working hours was very limited.

Reinforced Earth India proposed TerraLink® technology as a solution for this project. As per requirement of the project. The TerraLink® comprises of HA GeoStrap® and TerraNail® as soil reinforcing elements with stone facing.

The TerraLink® system guarantees not only the stability of the slope but also ensures safety during construction, effective release of hydrostatic pressure through well designed surface and subsurface drainage system and enables construction of reinforced soil structure despite limited space availability for base width. The facia of the wall is prefabricated steel mesh which are factory manufactured and does not require any lifting machinery at site to lift. To facilitate the drainage, PVC drainage pipes are embedded in the fill and also to drain out the water from top drops and guides drains was developed.

The innovative and sustainable TerraLink® solution used in this project has resulted in the widening of existing roadway, slope stabilisation, drainage improvement and rehabilitation of the massive landslide at Daringbadi.

During the execution Reinforced Earth has deputed their highly experienced engineers and supervisors to achieve high quality of work and finishing at site level.