GEOCELLS & DRAINAGE GEOCOMPOSITES – Preventing embankment erosion (M25)

Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture started work on the widening of the M25 motorway between Junctions 16 to 23 and Junctions 27 to 30 in July 2009.

The construction of the road widening involved the use of Terram Geocell as a cost-effective and sustainable solution to help prevent erosion of the motorway’s steep embankments, ensuring maximum stability with minimal maintenance. TERRAM Geocell, a honeycombed geocell system, was installed on the surface of the constructed embankment. Once secured in place with pins, the cells were filled with a layer of topsoil which was then hydro-seeded.

TERRAM 1B1 Drainage Geocomposite was used as drainage separation between existing ground and where PFA and glass sand was used as backfill to a smooth-faced retaining wall.

TERRAM’s 1B1 Drainage Geocomposite directly replaces the use of granular fill found in conventional drainage designs. Drainage solutions which use granular fill are costly and cause damage to the environment, as the stone has to be quarried and transported to the site and excavated materials often end up in the landfill.