Tensar Solution For Army Fire Power

Mowlem selected Tensar geogrid soil reinforcement solutions as the most competitive and rapid method for creating new and widened roadways and other facilities at Otterburn Army Training estate.

In order to develop the key Otterburn Army Training Estate (ATE) in Northumberland to enable use by tracked artillery units and other large military vehicles, the Ministry of Defence needed to widen and strengthen the existing road network and to construct additional stone tracks and hard standings.

Main contractor Mowlem selected Tensar geogrid soil reinforcement solutions as the most competitive and rapid method for creating new and widened roadways and other facilities.

The project has become the largest sale of Tensar geogrids to any one site in the UK.

The soil conditions in this remote moorland area of Northumberland are highly inconsistent - in fact an excavator vehicle had actually been lost in a poor piece of ground prior to the upgrade.

Some 30 km of new stone tracks were required, as well as the widening of many of the existing blacktop roads to accommodate the large, heavy tracked and wheeled vehicles.

Otterburn is in the Northumberland National Park with a landscape of high scenic value.

Planning conditions for the scheme restricted the area of new development to the absolute minimum and new infrastructure on open moorland had to be surfaced in local stone.

As a preferred solution, Tensar SS30 biaxial geogrids were laid on top of the subgrade with a layer of Type 1 locally quarried Winstone aggregate.

The ability to use a local aggregate meant that transport costs were minimised, and the installations could be used quickly, without requirement for consolidation and curing.

In addition to the upgrading and construction of roads, Tensar geogrids were also used in the construction of a sub-base on which to build a concrete surfaced Central Maintenance Facility adjacent to the training camp.

The environmental impact of all aspects of the project was of paramount importance during the planning and construction of the permanent works.

The MoD has made every effort to mitigate the effects of the development on the landscape, heritage and ecology of the area.

The contract commenced late April 2003 and is scheduled for completion in July 2005.

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