Soil Nail Anchor Systems Case Histories:
Cumberland Gap Interchange Slide

The Cumberland Gap project consists of a twin bore tunnel system and four lane highway to replace the antiquated two lane road winding through the Cumberland Pass dating back to the times of Daniel Boone. Recently, a landslide occurred on a hill above one of the highway interchanges requiring a rock stabilization structure. The Federal Highway Administration selected Nicholson Construction to design and to construct an anchored wall to retain the unstable Upper Rockwood Formation. Williams epoxy coated 1-3/4" diameter 150 KSI bar assemblies, ranging in length from 30' to 90', were used to anchor the shotcrete face to the more stable Lower Rockwood Formation. Since the anchors were not tensioned, strand anchor were ruled out by the contractors design due to the expected drape or relaxation of the strands in the drill hole. A smaller 150 KSI bar would have necessitated considerably more anchors and was considered uneconomical and less corrosion resistant.

Main Reason They Chose Williams