| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this thesis is to present the instrumentation data from the approach embankments. A literature review was completed to determine what others have done to reduce the problem of approach embankment settlement. Construction of the embankments was completed in June, 1995, and instrumentation data were gathered at three to four week intervals until June, 1996. Since that time, data have been gathered approximately every eight weeks. The data were evaluated and compared with predicted values for settlement and lateral earth pressure. The predicted values were estimated using conventional methods. The surface deposits at the project site are alluvium consisting of sand, clay, gravel, and silt. The foundation soils consist mostly of sand and silt, with little cohesive material. The bedrock is shale with a few limestone lenses. A complete description of the site geology, all soils tests performed at the project site, and a presentation of the boring logs are given by Benson (2); Schwidder (12) also gives a detailed description of the site geology. The type of soil for each of the embankments is uniform across the site. Therefore, it is possible to compare the performance of the experimental approach embankments and relate the performance to the construction type and material for the embankment. Comparisons were made between the performance of the different embankments and the best altematives for bridge approach embankment construction were chosen. | |
