Assignment
As part of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Transit System (HBLRTS), an existing county roadway and an active freight rail line were relocated to make way for new at-grade and elevated light rail structures built adjacent to steep rock slopes, known as the Palisades. Golder provided rock slope stabilization design services under a Design Build Contract between Janod and Washington Infrastructure Inc. for HBLRTS.

Our Role
Existing rock slopes were nearly vertical, extending some 160 feet above adjacent light rail structures under construction and showing evidence of long-term weathering and erosion. We inspected and mapped observed rock mass conditions using rappelling techniques, and marked out locations for required stabilization concurrent with inspection efforts to expedite the project's tight schedule. Given needs for preserving the aesthetics of the Palisades and requirements for restoring the natural appearance of the rock, rock slope stabilization measures were limited to include only rock scaling; installation of rock dowels, rock pins and rock trains; providing tensioned rock anchors within localized areas; and applying steel fiber reinforced shotcrete within weathered and raveling zones. In addition, Boulderscape, Inc. was brought in to sculpt and colorize the shotcrete surfaces to match the natural character, grain, color, and appearance of the rock.