Our client, Big River Industries, specializes in manufacturing expanded clay lightweight aggregate, called Riverlite. The aggregate is used in a variety of applications, including Masonry, Concrete, Geotechnical, Asphalt, Horticulture, and Storm Water Management. The company recently teamed up with Archer-Western Contractors of Atlanta to help solve an engineering problem for its Corridor X project, a major interchange being constructed just north of Birmingham, Ala.
The problem: Portions of the new roadway will travel over an existing 2,500 foot concrete drainage system that is approximately twenty feet underground. Thus, the project’s engineers and Alabama Department of Transportation were worried too much pressure on the roadway above the pipe would cause cracks and leaks.
The Solution: Big River Industries’ Riverlite aggregate. This type of aggregate helps reduce the load on the drainage pipe culvert by more than half compared to normal weight material because of its very low density and very high angle of internal friction.
To learn more about how Big River Industries’ Riverlite aggregate provided a solution for the unique engineering challenge, watch the video below. And, for more information about Riverlite and its various applications, visit www.riverlite.com.
