STRUCTURAL Soils has started work on a detailed ground investigation contract for the Scottish Government’s A83 Rest And Be Thankful Long Term Solution project.
The company is working with Transport Scotland to find a solution for a stretch of road that is prone to closures due to rock falls and hillside failures. The road is a vital trunk road connecting Scotland’s central belt with the west coast.
The project encompasses the logistical and technical challenges of maintaining public access and use of the road, while using the same road as the means of accessing the slopes above, below and through the carriageway to obtain the ‘detailed and complex’ ground investigation data.
The investigation requires multiple specialist ground investigation techniques, working in challenging conditions on steep slopes and in cooperation with multiple stakeholders, to obtain the information required for the design of a 1.4km-long debris flow shelter spanning the road that would keep falling rocks and other material off the carriageway.
Stephen Mackereth, MD of Structural Soils, explained the team would deploy a specialist project team upward of 50 members to execute the work. The techniques required include sonic drilling of boreholes through the carriageway, boreholes on steep and irregular slopes above and below the carriageway with no vehicular access, and geophysics on sloped ground.
Stephen said, “Innovation and the ability to overcome a host of physical, practical and logistical factors will define this investigation. The physical constraints of this site will make access to many of the exploratory positions very difficult and unsuited to conventional investigation plant or access methods.
“Innovative use of a combination of access techniques, equipment and specialist trained personnel will be necessary to complete the scheduled works. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the site will require adoption of a flexible approach with adaptable methods to fit conditions at that time and as they evolve.
“We will be drilling angled boreholes on slopes up to 60 degrees situated as far as 60m from the carriageway to depths of 35m, including rock coring. The intricate management of the resources on site will be the crux of the project, ensuring operations are conducted safely, efficiently and economically for the envisaged 16-week fieldwork period, subject to weather.”
The Structural Soils Scottish office will lead the project from its Glasgow office. The team will be working with Transport Scotland, and their technical advisers (an AtkinsRéalis and WSP joint venture) to ensure the geotechnical information required from each location is efficiently delivered.
Additional RSK sister companies expected to support Structural Soils include JB Site Investigations, CAN, RSK Geosciences, Central Alliance, Envirolab, Drilling Supplies, ADAS and RSK Habitat.
