Stabilization Provides the Solution When Forces of Nature Halt Drill Pad Construction

Access road gives way and stps drill pad construction

(Bradford County, PA; Mar, 2010)

In any given year, Mt. Carmel Stabilization Group will perform soil stabilization applications on hundreds of projects ranging from highway reconstruction, airport runways, subdivision roads, commercial building pads, drying operations on mass grading projects and many other miscellaneous project types. These projects can range in size from 1,500 to several million square yards. Each project presents a unique situation and subsequent challenges to success. This particular project was stabilization of an Albany Township roadway that serves as an access road to the drill site. The 2.5 mile road had been completely destroyed by the heavy loads related to construction of the drill pads. Construction was stopped and Mt. Carmel was called in to get this project back on track.

The Problem - Spring Thaw and Heavy Loads = Recipe for Road Destruction

Any major oil and gas drill site brings with it one certainty: the need for access during the construction of the site and during drilling operations over the life of the site. Construction of the drill pads requires heavy equipment, aggregate and the drill rigs themselves. This project has two drill pads on it, so the loads traveling on the access road were tremendous. Add to this, the fact that Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of freeze-thaw cycles per year and you end up with 2 foot ruts and a complete structural failure of this roadway (images above). In late March, during the construction of the second drill pad, the spring thaw came early to northeast PA. Construction operations were completely stopped due to the condition of Heath Hill Road, which served as the only access road into the drill site.

The Solution - Soil Stabilization with Portland Cement

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