In our on-demand webinar, Flexible Design Solutions for Resilient Dams and Spillways, Sam Justice, P.E., Civil Engineer for Presto Geosystems, explores how the GEOWEB® Soil Stabilization System helps address the unique challenges of dam and spillway applications through effective erosion control, slope protection, and load support solutions. The presentation highlights real-world design considerations, project applications, and strategies for improving infrastructure performance in demanding hydraulic environments. To continue the conversation, our engineering team has compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from the webinar. Read on for expert insights into how flexible design approaches can enhance the resilience, adaptability, and sustainability of dams and spillways for decades to come. How do you know the aggregate roadway thickness is being reduced? The GEOWEB System is used to reduce aggregate base thickness in road construction by improving load distribution and confinement. Depending on subgrade strength and loading conditions, reductions typically range from about 30% to 60%, with greater savings achieved on weaker soils (CBR < 3). This is possible because the geocell system increases the effective stiffness and shear resistance of the aggregate layer, allowing it to perform like a thicker unconfined section while using less material. What thickness of… Read more »

When extreme weather events occur, communities are often left to grapple with the devastating effects. An increase in extreme weather patterns, coupled with aging or inadequate infrastructure, amplifies the often dangerous and costly damage that ensues—especially for vulnerable communities living in low-lying areas. According to a recent study, extreme weather events continue to trend upwards, leaving many more American homes and businesses at risk of severe flooding. For this reason, it is vital to build resilience into infrastructure projects to mitigate climate risk and ensure the long-term reliability of critical infrastructure. Incorporating geosynthetics into infrastructure can improve the ability of communities to withstand and recover from extreme weather events. For example, in hurricane-prone parts of the country, designing robust access roads along power transmission lines allows repair crews to safely and quickly restore power to communities that might otherwise be without electricity for days or even weeks. Geosynthetic products, such as geocells, can be used to construct reliable access roads along transmission infrastructure, which often traverse very remote areas with difficult terrain and very soft ground conditions. Through an interconnected honeycomb-like network, geocells confine and stabilize soils that would otherwise be unstable under loading. When used in load support, slope stabilization, channel protection,… Read more »