What is construction resiliency?
Resilient infrastructure is designed, built, and installed to withstand the passage of time and the impact of the elements. Today, the need for resiliency in our nation's infrastructure is more urgent than ever. Extreme weather events, as well as ongoing changes in rainfall amounts, temperatures, and sea level, will continue to the detriment of infrastructure. New government spending on the country's infrastructure offers an opportunity for resilient engineering solutions that will stand up to future threats.
Tensar's Commitment
Tensar is doubling down on its commitment to resilient engineering, investing in research, industry collaboration, and new product development that supports a durable infrastructure. As researchers, we are constantly investigating and testing new approaches to resiliency. As industry leaders, we formed the Resilient Roads Roundtable and launched www.resilientroadways.com to bring together like-minded organizations - from business, academia, and government - joining forces to raise awareness and provide a forum for action. As product manufacturers, our new geogrid product, Tensar InterAx™, is a prime example of our commitment to durability in civil engineering.
Proven History of Resilient Engineering Solutions
Even before our latest innovations, Tensar's geogrid has demonstrated its ability to sustain resiliency over time. In 1988, CSX installed Tensar geogrid to improve performance and extend maintenance intervals for a high-volume, poor performing, frequently maintained section of track at the Port of Mobile in Alabama. Over the next 32 years, the railway carried an estimated two billion gross tons of heavy tonnage. During this time, the area also experienced multiple major flooding events, including Hurricane Katrina.
In late 2020, Tensar took samples of the installed geogrid and tested them. The exhumed geogrid samples were approximately 45% more rigid than they were in 1988. The Port of Mobile reaped the financial benefits of reduced maintenance costs (the maintenance interval was extended by up to 400%) and reduced the need for replacement construction.
The demonstrated resiliency of Tensar geogrids means that Tensar customers can be confident in its ability to withstand extreme events as well as day-to-day usage.