EPS Geofoam Saves the Day for Major Colorado Highway
(Updated 9/25/2019)
Picture this: you’re driving along, and large cracks appear on the road. After the shock of seeing the stuff of nightmares, the cracks terrifyingly give way to a sinkhole. This is what transpired on July 12, 2019, on the eastbound lanes of U.S. 36 in Colorado.
As reported by The Denver Post, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) explains that the collapse was due to the pressure of shifting soil on U.S. 36’s water-saturated clay foundation. To avoid these materials’ shortcomings and a repeat scenario, the contractor specified Insulfoam Geofoam EPS 22 for the rebuild. The expanded polystyrene (EPS) geo-synthetic fill was selected for its moisture resistance, along with its compressive strength, lightweight and load dispersal characteristics.
Since it was critical that the section of heavily-trafficked highway be rebuilt as soon as possible, six Insulfoam plants from around the country took on the task of manufacturing 6,400 eight foot blocks of lightweight fill. As you can see in the videos below, EPS geofoam has been stacked alongside U.S. 36, and is currently awaiting installation:
UPDATE 9/25/2019
Keep an eye out for more information on our largest multi-plant project ever!
