Construction Mat Solutions
Cox Creek Spillway Improvements Access Road
Baltimore, MarylandMinimal Disturbance Access through Environmental Area Possible with GEOTERRA Construction Mats
Project Background
The GEOTERRA® Construction Mats were employed for site access roads to an outfall from a dredge material containment facility. Because the outfall is located on the bay side of a containment dike, it is considered an environmentally sensitive area and lies within Maryland’s Critical Area—the naturally vegetated area within specified boundaries of the state’s tidal waters.
Low Impact Solution Mats
In order to meet Maryland’s low-impact mitigation requirements, the GEOTERRA mats were utilized, allowing vehicle access with minimal disturbance to the site. Traffic ranging from pickup trucks to occasional rubber-tired backhoes access the site for months as crews remove dredged material. To allow vegetation to grow through the open-celled mat system, the mats were installed without a geotextile underlayer. An underlying layer is used to further strengthen in heavy use applications or when softer wet soils are encountered.
The GEOTERRA Construction Mats were installed for a 15-foot-wide x 300-foot-long roadway without heavy equipment by an erosion and sediment control landscape contractor.
