New Use for Filter Fabric: Highway Construction

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1979, Vol. 49, Issue 10, Pg. 55-57


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

A growing area of filter fabric use is road construction, both secondary and superhighway. The article focuses on one case history in Cambridge, Maryland where, after a one-year test, the city is using fabric on four new streets. Fabric is placed directly on the clay subgrade, topped with backfill and gravel, then paved. One big advantage is that use of fabric reduces needed depth of backfill and gravel for an immediate savings on this job of $10,000 to $15,000. The second advantage of using filter fabric on poor soils is that it distributes the traffic load evenly, minimizing damage to the subgrade and it prevents moisture from gouging the subbase. Consequently it is expected to reduce maintenance costs. Article also contains an overview of how other highway departments are using filter fabric.

Subject Headings: Fabrics | Filters | Infrastructure construction | Subgrades | Subgrade soils | Soil water | Highways and roads

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