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Geosynthetic Reinforced SoilIntegrated Bridge SystemInterim Implementation GuidePUBLICATION NO. FHWA-HRT-11-026Research, Development, and TechnologyTurner-Fairbank Highway Research Center6300 Georgetown PikeMcLean, VA 22101-2296JANUARY 2011

FOREWORDGeosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) technology consists of closely spaced layers of geosyntheticreinforcement and compacted granular fill material. GRS has been used for a variety of earthworkapplications since the U.S. Forest Service first used it to build walls for roads in steep mountainterrain in the 1970s. Since then, the technology has evolved into the GRS Integrated BridgeSystem (IBS), a fast, cost-effective method of bridge support that blends the roadway into thesuperstructure. GRS-IBS includes a reinforced soil foundation, a GRS abutment, and a GRSintegrated approach. The application of IBS has several advantages. The system is easy to design andeconomically construct. It can be built in variable weather conditions with readily available labor,materials, and equipment and can easily be modified in the field. This method has significant valuewhen employed for small, single-span structures meeting the criteria described in this manual.As a result of the demonstrated performance of GRS-IBS, the technology was selected for theFederal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts initiative, aimed at acceleratingimplementation of proven, market-ready technologies. This manual is the first in a two-part seriesand outlines the design and construction of GRS-IBS. The second document is a synthesis reportto substantiate the design method. Both documents are a collaboration between many disciplineswithin FHWA: geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, maintenance, and pavement engineering.Jorge Pagán-OrtizDirector, Office of InfrastructureResearch and DevelopmentNoticeThis document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportationin the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the useof the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard,specification, or regulation.The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks ormanufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to theobjective of the document.Quality Assurance StatementThe Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serveGovernment, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standardsand policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of itsinformation. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes toensure continuous quality improvement.

TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE1. Report No.2. Government Accession No.FHWA-HRT-11-0264. Title and SubtitleGeosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System, InterimImplementation Guide3. Recipient’s Catalog No.5. Report DateJanuary 20116. Performing Organization Code:7. Author(s)8. Performing Organization Report No.Michael Adams, Jennifer Nicks, Tom Stabile, Jonathan Wu,Warren Schlatter, and Joseph Hartmann9. Performing Organization Name and Address10. Work Unit No.Office of Infrastructure Research and DevelopmentFederal Highway Administration11. Contract or Grant No.6300 Georgetown PikeMcLean, VA 2218113. Type of Report and Period Covered12. Sponsoring Agency Name and AddressFederal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation14. Sponsoring Agency Code1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWashington, DC 2059015. Supplementary NotesThe FHWA Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) was Mike Adams, HRDS-40.16. AbstractThis manual outlines the state-of-the-art and recommended practice for designing and constructing GeosyntheticReinforced Soil (GRS) technology for the application of the Integrated Bridge System (IBS). The procedurespresented in this manual are based on 40 years of State and Federal research focused on GRS technology asapplied to abutments and walls.This manual was developed to serve as the first in a two-part series aimed at providing engineers with thenecessary background knowledge of GRS technology and its fundamental characteristics as an alternative toother construction methods. The manual presents step-by-step guidance on the design of GRS-IBS. Analyticaland empirical design methodologies in both the Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance FactorDesign (LRFD) formats are provided. Material specifications for standard GRS-IBS are also provided. Detailedconstruction guidance is presented along with methods for the inspection, performance monitoring, maintenance,and repair of GRS-IBS. Quality assurance and quality control procedures are also covered in this manual.The second part of this series (FHWA-HRT-11-027) is a synthesis report that covers the background of GRS-IBSand provides other supporting information to substantiate the design method.17. Key Words18. Distribution StatementGeosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS), Integrated Bridge System(IBS), Design, Construction, Performance test, Geosynthetic,material specifications, Quality assurance, Quality control19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page)21. No. of Pages22. PriceUnclassifiedUnclassified169Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72)Reproduction of completed page authorized

SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORSAPPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITSSymbolWhen You KnowinftydmiinchesfeetyardsmilesMultiply ByLENGTH25.40.3050.9141.61To quare millimeterssquare meterssquare metershectaressquare kilometersmmm2m2ha2kmAREA2inft2yd2ac2misquare inchessquare feetsquare yardacressquare miles645.20.0930.8360.4052.59fl ozgalft33ydfluid ouncesgallonscubic feetcubic yardsozlbTouncespoundsshort tons (2000 028cubic meters0.765cubic meters3NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in mmLLm33mMASS28.350.4540.907gramskilogramsmegagrams (or "metric ton")TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)F5 (F-32)/9or (F-32)/1.8gkgMg (or orcepoundforce per square inchFORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS4.456.89newtonskilopascalsNkPaAPPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITSSymbolWhen You KnowMultiply 2mm2ha2kmsquare millimeterssquare meterssquare metershectaressquare kilometersmLLm33mmillilitersliterscubic meterscubic metersgkgMg (or "t")gramskilogramsmegagrams (or "metric ton")oCelsius0.0393.281.090.621To FindSymbolinchesfeetyardsmilesinftydmisquare inchessquare feetsquare yardsacressquare milesin22ftyd2ac2mifluid ouncesgallonscubic feetcubic yardsfl ozgalft33ydouncespoundsshort tons (2000 .26435.3141.307MASS0.0352.2021.103TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)C1.8C 9290.2919FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS0.2250.145poundforcepoundforce per square inchlbf2lbf/in*SI is the symbol for the International System of Units. Appropriate rounding should be made to comply with Section 4 of ASTM E380.(Revised March 2003)ii

TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER 1. GEOSYNTHETIC REINFORCED SOIL INTEGRATED BRIDGESYSTEM .11.1. INTRODUCTION.11.2 BENEFITS OF GRS-IBS .3CHAPTER 2. NOTATION, ABBREVIATIONS, AND TERMINOLOGY.52.1 NOTATION .52.2 ABBREVIATIONS .112.3 TERMINOLOGY .12CHAPTER 3. MATERIALS .153.1 INTRODUCTION.153.2 FACING ELEMENTS.153.3 BACKFILL MATERIAL.173.3.1 GRS Abutment Backfill .173.3.2 RSF Backfill.203.3.3 Integrated Approach Backfill .203.4 GEOSYNTHETIC .203.5 MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS .23CHAPTER 4. DESIGN METHODOLOGY FOR GRS-IBS .254.1 OVERVIEW OF GRS-IBS DESIGN METHOD .254.2 BASIC DESIGN STEPS FOR GRS-IBS .274.3 GRS-IBS DESIGN GUIDELINES .284.3.1 Step 1—Establish Project Requirements .284.3.2 Step 2—Perform a Site Evaluation .294.3.3 Step 3—Evaluate Project Feasibility .304.3.4 Step 4—Determine Layout of GRS-IBS.304.3.5 Step 5—Calculate Applicable Loads .354.3.6 Step 6—Conduct an External Stability Analysis .394.3.7 Step 7—Conduct Internal Stability Analysis .444.3.8 Step 8—Implement Design Details .504.3.9 Step 9—Finalize Material Quantities and Layout .534.4 DESIGN EXAMPLE: BOWMAN ROAD BRIDGE, DEFIANCE COUNTY, OH . 544.4.1 Step 1—Establish Project Requirements .544.4.2 Step 2—Site Evaluation .564.4.3 Step 3—Evaluate Project Feasibility .584.4.4 Step 4—Determine Layout of GRS-IBS.584.4.5 Step 5—Calculate Loads.594.4.6 Step 6—Conduct an External Stability Analysis .604.4.7 Step 7—Conduct Internal Stability Analysis .634.4.8 Step 8—Implement Design Details .704.4.9 Step 9—Finalize Material Quantities and Layout .70iii

CHAPTER 5. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HYDRAULIC AND SEISMICCONDITIONS .715.1 INTRODUCTION.715.2 HYDRAULIC DESIGN.715.3 HYDRAULIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS .715.4 SEISMIC DESIGN .735.5 IMPACT EVENTS .73CHAPTER 6. IN-SERVICE PERFORMANCE .756.1 INTRODUCTION.756.2 DEFORMATIONS .756.3 THERMAL CYCLES.786.4 MONITORING FOR SCOUR.78CHAPTER 7. CONSTRUCTION .797.1 INTRODUCTION.797.2 LABOR AND EQUIPMENT .807.2.1 Labor Requirements .807.2.2 Tool and Equipment Requirements .807.3 SITE PREPARATION .827.3.1 Site Layout .827.3.2 Excavation.827.3.3 Placement of Abutment Behind Existing Substructure .837.4 RSF .857.5 COMPACTION .877.5.1 Compaction Procedure .887.6 REINFORCEMENT.887.6.1 Operating Equipment on Geosynthetic Reinforcement .907.6.2 Bearing Reinforcement Bed .907.6.3 Superelevation.917.7 WALL FACE .917.7.1 Leveling Course .927.7.2 Setting the CMU Block.927.7.3 Wall Face Alignment .927.7.4 Block Alignment for Battered Walls .937.7.5 Superelevation.947.7.6 Wall Corners .957.7.7 Top of Facing Wall .967.8 BEAM SEAT .977.8.1 Beam Seat Procedure .997.8.2 Setback .1007.8.3 Aluminum Flashing .1017.8.4 CIP or Precast Footing .1017.9 PLACEMENT OF SUPERSTRUCTURE.1017.9.1 Crane Position on GRS Mass.1027.9.2 Reinforcement of Beam Seat .1027.9.3 Setting Superstructure on Beam Seat (Without CIP Footing) .1027.9.4 Wing Walls and Parapets .103iv

7.10 APPROACH INTEGRATION .1037.10.1 Wrapped Reinforcement Layers on Sides.1067.10.2 Preloading .1067.10.3 Paving .1067.10.4 Guardrail Post .1077.11 SITE DRAINAGE.107CHAPTER 8. IN-SERVICE INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR .1098.1 INTRODUCTION.1098.2 IN-SERVICE INSPECTION .1098.3 MAINTENANCE .1108.4 REPAIR .111CHAPTER 9. QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE .1159.1 INTRODUCTION.1159.2 ROLE OF THE CONTRACTOR .1159.3 TESTING .1159.3.1 Laboratory Testing .1159.3.2 Field Testing .1169.4 CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION .1169.4.1 Materials .1169.4.2 Equipment .1179.4.3 Project Layout .1179.4.4 Construction Activities .1179.5 DOCUMENTATION.1199.5.1 Compliance Documentation.1199.5.2 Record Drawings .1199.6 CONTRACTING METHODS.1199.6.1 Performance Method .1209.6.2 Procedural Method .1209.6.3 Contractor Submittals .1229.7 PROJECT DRAWINGS AND DOCUMENTS .122APPENDIX A. IN-SERVICE GRADATIONS .123APPENDIX B. PERFORMANCE TEST PROCEDURE .125B.1 PERFORMANCE TEST OVERVIEW .125B.2 PERFORMANCE TEST EXAMPLE: VEGAS MINI-PIER .125B.3 PERFORMANCE TEST EXAMPLE: DEFIANCE COUNTYPERFORMANCE TEST .130APPENDIX C. LRFD DESIGN PROCEDURE .135C.1 INTRODUCTION.135C.2 GRS-IBS DESIGN GUIDELINES .136C.2.1 Step 6—Conduct an External Stability Analysis .137C.2.2 Step 7—Conduct Internal Stability Analysis .139v

C.3 DESIGN EXAMPLE (LRFD): BOWMAN ROAD BRIDGE,DEFIANCE COUNTY, OH .141C.3.6 Step 6—Conduct an External Stability Analysis .141C.3.7 Step 7—Conduct Internal Stability Analysis .143C.3.8 Step 8—Implement Design Details .147APPENDIX D. TYPICAL GRS-IBS WORKING DRAWINGS .149D.1 SINGLE-PAGE PLAN SHEET .149D.2 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES AND GENERAL NOTES .150D.3 PROJECT PLAN AND PROFILE.151D.4 GRS ABUTMENT DETAILS .152D.5 SITE PLAN .153ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .155REFERENCES.157vi