By: Terry Meier, Sales Representative - Architectural Products
It has been said that an amateur sells products, but a professional sells solutions to needs and problems. I feel that it is my responsibility to do just that. Whenever I have sold Geofoam, it has always been used to solve a specific problem or set of problems. One such problem is when large embankments are constructed over poor soil conditions.
Constructing large embankments over soft-soil sites can be challenging, as special care must be taken to ensure that primary consolidation and post construction secondary settlements will not damage adjacent structures and utilities. In many instances, this means that methods to minimize the amount of settlement must be employed. This can be accomplished by replacing conventional earth fill material with a much lighter Geofoam fill. Geofoam is only 1.5 lbs per cubic ft as compared to 135 lbs for conventional earth fills. The goal is to reduce potential settlements to an acceptable magnitude. By eliminating potential settlements, construction time is dramatically reduced. At the West Valley Trax construction site at 1900 south 600 west as much as 4 feet of settlement was expected if conventional fill material was used. The fill would have taken up to three years to settle. The utilization of Geofoam means that the job gets done in months instead of years.
This project is the second largest Geofoam job in the United States, second only to the I-15 project of 12 years ago.
Other notable local Geofoam jobs:
- I-15 Reconstruction
- Legacy Highway
- Cottonwood Street
- Salt Lake Library
- IHC Hospital in Murray
