Fabric containers used to divert Orange river for bridge-widening project

27th October 2017 By: Donna Slater - Features Deputy Editor and Chief Photographer

Fabric containers used to divert Orange river for  bridge-widening project

GEOTEXTILE SOLUTION The project required 1 000 GeoRevet Geobags to help create the piling platform structure

To facilitate the implementation of a bridge-widening project in the Northern Cape, engineered fabrics company Kaytech used its geotextile containers to assist in redirecting part of the Orange river to allow pile-driving equipment access to riverside infrastructure.

Increased traffic on the N12 highway between Kimberley and Hopetown prompted the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) to undertake a project to widen the road and add another lane to the bridge spanning the Orange river.

Engineering consultancy BVi Consulting Engineers was awarded the contract.

Creating a suitable platform for pile-driving equipment access alongside the bridge necessitated temporarily diverting the river. So project contractor Botes & Kennedy approached Kaytech for a cost-effective, reliable solution to create the necessary barrier.

For this particular project, Kaytech recommended using open-top Geobags, called GeoRevet S120/SF1.2 (capable of holding 1 m3 of material) for the embankment consolidation. Each bag is manufactured from a composite geotextile consisting of a staple fibre fleece needled onto a woven tape geotextile to create a strong, robust, low-elongation geobag with good filtration and drainage properties.

To facilitate filling with a granular material, the open top of each bag has a bidim filling spout sleeve, which is then rolled up, strapped closed and inserted into the GeoRevet bag after filling. The GeoRevet Geobag is then laced closed through the premanufactured eyelets using the cord provided.

Each bag was supplied with four webbing lifting straps at each corner, which are sewn around the full circumference of the bag for extra lifting stability and strength.

The project required 1 000 GeoRevet Geobags to help create the piling platform structure. The ease of handling and filling of the bags was a significant advantage during the process of diverting the river, according to Kaytech.

It is envisioned that completion of the entire Sanral project, together with the extra lane added to the bridge, will result in a significant easing of traffic congestion along this stretch of the N12, which is about 127 km long.