Design and Validation of 26 km of Geogrid Stabilized Pavement for a Utah Highway

Abstract: The West Davis Corridor is a 4-lane divided, state highway project North of Salk Lake City, Utah. It connects Interstate highway 15 to Legacy Parkway in Farmington addressing the growing population and transportation needs of the area. The project was a $500 million dollar design build project where the engineering team and the contractor collaborated on design decisions. The project’s significant scope included the construction of 26 kilometers of embanked highway. The first phase of construction connects to Interstate 15 and Legacy Parkway at approximately Glovers Lane in Farmington, extending west and north, terminating at 4500 West. The contractor began road construction in the Spring of 2022 and completed road construction in the Fall of 2023. One of the biggest challenges on the project was building an embankment across soft soils. One of the project highlights was the innovative use of geogrid to enhance the pavement structure and optimize construction. This resulted in the reduction of ~24,000 tons of Hot Mix Asphalt and replaced 218,000 cubic metres of engineered aggregate with embankment fill. The engineering team used Automated Plate Load Testing to validate the geogrid design. The presentation will outline the design process, and highlight the significant benefits realized including lowered construction cost, reduced construction schedule and a significant improvement in project sustainability and reductions in carbon emissions. The contractor completed the West Davis Corridor project in fall of 2023, one year ahead of schedule.