Evaluation of post flooding shoulder reconditioning

"February 2017."; "FHWA/OH-2017-10"--Technical report documentation page.; Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-42).; Final report.; Sponsored by Ohio Department of Transportation; State Job Number 135317Final report: Evaluation of post flooding shoulder reconditioning (84 pages : illustrations (some color), color map) -- Fact sheet: Post-flood shoulder reconditioning (1 page: color illustration).The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Holmes County Garage has to frequently maintain the shoulders of the hilly and curvy highways, which are prone to shoulder erosion and material loss due to floods or heavy rain. Currently, the problematic shoulders are maintained by simply replenishing with new aggregates, which is only a temporary fix. ODOT is seeking a permanent, easy-to-implement, cost- and time-effective solution to post-flood shoulder reconditioning. In this research, the current ODOT practice for shoulder reconditioning is evaluated by reviewing specifications, making site observations, discussing reconditioning with the maintenance crew, and conducting laboratory tests of the adopted materials. It was found that the currently adopted materials do not conform to those specified for shoulder reconditioning in CMS Item 617; the water content of the material is not well controlled, and the compaction of the placed materials is not sufficient. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, and four major types of promising permanent shoulder reconditioning techniques were identified: vegetation, chemical stabilization, mechanical stabilization and paving. Cost-benefit analysis was conducted for each technique, and a decision tree was developed to assist ODOT in choosing the most viable technique considering traffic type and volume, shoulder width, and drainage condition of the sites. It is recommended that quality control and assurance measures on material and compaction should be performed in order to better implement the current practice. It is also recommended that methods such as mechanical stabilization of the shoulder using geosynthetics, together with drainage measures, can be considered in the future to permanently prevent flood-induced shoulder erosion