Building a Better, Stronger Road

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Stronger Road

We’re approaching springtime in the Northeast. The roads have been beaten and bruised with the (drastic) fluctuation in temperatures. Runoff and flooding from snowmelt increases soil saturation. If this saturated soil happens to be in the base or subgrade under the pavement then big problems occur. The result is an endless winding gauntlet of frost heaves, potholes, and cracked / uneven driving surfaces. It’s nothing new, but it is still, for whatever reason, a “newer concept” to tackle the issue at the source and attempt to prevent such drastic and costly repairs as the seasons change.

Roads are directly affected by the base plot of land they’re built on. They’re also affected by direct environmental factors such as nearby runoff and drainage factors. Therefore, and it’s likely obvious, the way you construct and maintain the terrain that immediately abuts any piece of a road is imperative. You can’t just flatten the surface and pour the asphalt. The soil should be made from aggregate of the proper gradation and it should be derived from crushed rock.

Road Building vs. Paving

Let’s start at the beginning. The main issue at hand is that most people simply look at the pavement and think “ROAD,” because that’s what shows. That’s “what’s on the surface.” With this attitude the end result is that they end up relying too much on – the pavement – without considering the other more important aspects that should go into any paving project. A road is not pavement. A road is a system of which the pavement is the top layer (much like the roof on a house is the top of a complete system of foundation, frame, walls, roof, etc. that make up the whole). See where we’re at with our thinking here?

In order to provide a pavement (which is what GES has created with our Polymer Pavement System), with good functionality along with a good lifespan, we need first to ensure a good base and good drainage, thus not relying on the pavement for strength but rather for consolidation of the surface aggregate such that there is no mud in the wet season and no dust in the dry season…

If the surface to be paved requires better load bearing, this can be accomplished using geosynthetics. The side benefit of the geosynthetics is better drainage as well. Have questions about geosynthetics? Call us. We have a warehouse full of answers.

When it comes to road building versus simply paving, it’s possible to have 2 – 3 inches of pavement (polymer, asphalt or concrete), which will support nearly any load if the base and subgrade are stable and well drained. It’s not feasible to rely on 4 inches or more to support any load if the base and or subgrade are poorly stabilized or poorly drained.

With Global Environmental Solutions, you’re taking a giant leap towards constructing roadways that are created with a correct, proactive approach the first time. We proved products that serve roads that are built to last.

And again, remember, a road is more than just a surface you drive on, and said strip of pavement is potentially compromised by any surrounding ecological variable. Look around. Is there a parcel of land running downward towards the roadway? If yes, that’s direct route for runoff and erosion to occur – eating away at your road and creating potentially disastrous driving conditions.

Products for consideration:

Contact GES today. We’ll help you design, plan, and construct the best road you can build, at a cost you can appreciate. Not only are you saving upfront, but on the backend as well. Forward thinking is the most sensible thinking. And thinking ahead leads to the road best travelled. (Or is it, best road travelled? – Pun fully intended…)

Traditional Environmental Techniques: An Antique Auto

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Equestrian Dust Control

Porsche is a legendary brand. The company traces its roots to the 1940’s when an aging Ferdinand Porsche developed his namesake car. A talented automotive engineer, and founder of the Porsche car company – he is best known for creating the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle the Lohner-Porsche, developed in 1894 and marketed from 1900 – 1905 – the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, and several other important developments in addition to his famous Porsche automobiles. Porsche also designed the 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen, which was the first racing car with a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. In short, he stayed busy, and as far as the automative industry is concerned, he was an outstanding revolutionary

As they say the rest is history.

As a kid, I was a car nut. Initially American muscle cars. Then having seen the cute (as well as fast and nimble) little Porsche 356’s on TV shows such as the original Mission Impossible series and in movies such as Harper, starring the great actor Paul Newman and several movies with another great actor, Steve McQueen, I became enamored with, and then addicted to these tiny, but amazingly fast, great handling cars. So much so that I joined Porsche Club of America and raced for a time when I was able to afford such luxury and had less concern for my own wellbeing. Eventually Porsches evolved and I graduated from the 356 Porsches to its descendent, the mighty Porsche 911, and then, to its successor, the ultimate Porsche, the 911/930 Turbo. Porsche was one of the first car companies to offer turbos in cars for the general public [albeit only a few with deep pockets as those 930’s were made in extremely limited numbers… we’re talking 1,300 cars on average per year – offered under the “Sonderwunschprogramm” (special order program)].

I’ve followed those vintage 356 Porsches and the actors who drove them over the years. The cars are now very valuable classics and those actors are dead. You can’t hide from Father Time – age catches up with everyone and everything.

Time too has long since caught up with most traditional environmental techniques. They don’t work well enough in many cases and they’re inefficient or relatively ineffective in other cases.

Now, much like Porsche with their new modern, ultra-fast, better, handling, better braking, better fuel economy, modern 911 automotive derivatives for the modern era, here comes Global Environmental Solutions with its DirtGlue Enterprises line of products to provide new modern approaches to environmental products and application techniques.

GES/DGE offers:

  • Extremely long-term dust control without water
  • Paving without asphalt or concrete
  • Hydroseeding/hydromulching without washouts
  • Permanent waterproofing for masonry
  • Chemical roadbase stabilization that is permanent
  • Erosion control that lasts and lasts
  • Dust control that stands up to any and all climate conditions
  • Sediment control at the source instead of silt fence after the fact
  • And, just like Porsche – much, much more…

GES is not just another soil stabilization and dust control company, just as Porsche is not just another car company.

The two of us are entirely different entities serving entirely different markets, but are both highly focused on research, development, and customer service. The goal has always been to provide the best possible results in an industry where ‘good’ just isn’t good enough.

At GES, we strive for technical and ecological superiority with every product we offer, in every project our products are introduced to, 100% of the time. The road we travel on (and may even have had a hand in stabilizing) is that of a joint effort – where success and creativity abound. Ride with us. We’ll get you to where you need to go, and we may even have some fun in the process.

Like Porsche, with GES products there “is no substitute”…