Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Transportation Defined: Minibenches

Minibenching on the I-10 Marsh Station project.


Minibenches are designed to retain soil on slopes that may otherwise be susceptible to erosion due to weather. They also improve water infiltration and basically work to increase the effectiveness of other temporary or permanent soil stabilization efforts.

How are they made?
They’re created with heavy-duty equipment. The minibenches on the I-10 Marsh Station project were made with an excavator that was used to “dig” out the benches starting from the top of the slope down.

A closer look.
Those particular minibenches will get wattles, which will assist in keeping the slopes from eroding. They'll also get seeded in another effort to achieve final stabilization of the slopes.

When are minibenches used?
Minibenching can be implemented on projects in areas that have soils prone to erosion.

Minibenching is also considered in cases where there’s a large, engineered slope that needs to be created or if there’s a particularly steep slope on a project.

Posted by Angela DeWelles   |  Labels:  Minibenches, Transportation_Defined