ODOT S.R. 7 Slope Excavation

ODOT S.R. 7 Slope Excavation, Jefferson County, Ohio

LOCATION

Jefferson County, Ohio

Project Highlights

Rock fall barrier consisted of a 4 foot high wire MSE wall
3,200 foot long rock fall barrier that was 12 feet high
Blasted 1.4 million cy of rock for this project including 108,000 sy of pre-split.
Slope excavation of nearly 2 million cy
Slopes 450 feet above the existing roadway

Project Description

The Beaver Excavating Company was the prime contractor for rock fall and slope excavation of State Route 7 near Brilliant in Jefferson County, Ohio. Construction was necessary to prevent any additional rock falls and slides of the slope to ensure the safety of the traveling public.

This project involved the slope excavation of nearly 2 million cy with slopes as high as 450 feet above the existing roadway. The $20.8 million project took place on very steep slopes ranging from 2:1 to near vertical slopes with narrow working benches averaging 40 to 60 feet wide and as narrow as 25 feet. The narrow slopes made coordinating the excavating and blasting operations challenging because access to the slope was limited to only one end of the cut.

Beaver Excavating successfully blasted 1.4 million cy of rock for this project including 108,000 sy of pre-split. Beaver coordinated short duration closures during the blasting operations for the protection of the traveling public. Of the total 213 shots (blasts), all blasts were successful and resulted in no temporary stoppage of traffic longer than 15 minutes. In an effort to ensure the safety of the motorists during the excavation operations, Beaver designed and constructed a 3,200 foot long rock fall barrier that was 12 feet high to ensure no falling debris entered the roadway. This rock fall barrier consisted of a 4 foot high wire MSE wall that was elevated further with shipping containers filled with stone. This design proved successful in protecting both the roadway and the traveling public. In addition, the design was re-used on ODOT’s next rock fall project in Jefferson County.

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