the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beaconweb9-18 | Page 7

September 2018 THE BEACON Page 7A Slip Sliding Away- the Roads of Dearborn County found. To date, Mr. Greive has applied for and has been instrumental in the county receiving numerous grants. However, the county must still use funds to pay for the projects and then must wait to be reimbursed, thus tying up invaluable resources. “At the end of the day, it’s all about helping people and doing the right thing,” said Mr. Greive. Of the five hundred forty- three roads in Dearborn Coun- ty, only forty are not paved. And snow removal is just around the corner... Sheet piling technology was used on West Laughery to repair a slip and ensure maxi- mum vertical strength of the hillside. The angle of the trackhoe indicates the severe grade of the terrain. Flood waters washed over Arlington Road and washed out the road, causing a collapse around the culvert pipe. An enormous culvert that spans Stateline Road was placed quickly so that mo- torists were inconvenienced as little as possible. Continued from page 1A These residents could not get out of their roads much less receive a multitude of things from lifesaving services such as fire and EMS support to daily services like mail and fuel deliveries. The Dearborn County High- way Department, comprised of twenty-three men, worked tirelessly to address all of the havoc wreaked by this storm. Eight slide sites were identi- fied. When asked how the highway department knows about a problem, Tim Greive, highway superintendent, replied, “ Experience. When you know about a storm, you know where to start looking.” Pruss Road was literally washed away, debris and trees left in its wake. While many of us were blissfully unaware of the perils our fellow neighbors were experiencing, these men were clearing away debris and devising ways to repair bridges and slips as efficiently and safely as possible. Several slip repair tech- niques have been utilized by Mr. Greive and his crew. A massive slip on West Laughery was repaired with soil nailing. The process treats unstable soil such as a slip to maintain the maximum vertical plane pos- sible. This alleviates interfer- ence with waterways and uses the least amount of land neces- sary. The process involves steel “nails” being driven into the hillside until stable ground is reached. They are forced into place and faced with mesh that is then topped with a shot- crete facing mixture. The installation of micro peers was also used to correct slips on roadways. Interlocking sheet pilings were driven into the ground and backed with layers of geotextile fabric and rap-rock. The result is a retain- ing system that sends pressure downward rather than outward, thus stabilizing the slip. A monopour was imple- mented in another area where the road literally buckled like a ribbon due to excess storm water. Plans to fix the road by doing a monopour to form a two-foot footer and the deck of the bridge will alleviate the problem. Perhaps the most techno- logically advanced process that the county is using to repair slips was developed by Geostabilization, Inc. and is based on rocket launching technology. A compressed air cannon shoots 2.5” diameter, 20-foot long steel tubes into the ground to stop further progressions of soil slides. While all of these unexpected problems are being addressed, the highway department crew has in the back of their minds a list of things that aren’t get- ting done. Mowing isn’t being completed; the resulting jungle of weeds will be untenable. Spraying weeds cannot be done, giving them freedom to take over in great strength. An interesting note- Mr. Greive is a firm believer in using the correct chemical for the treatment of weeds and vegetation. The location of surrounding waterways must be considered. Mr. Greive and three of his coworkers have earned Indiana Commercial Pesticide Application licenses from Purdue University. Oth- ers who are technicians can apply pesticides but must be under the supervision of those who are licensed. At the end of the day when the road crew gets back to the garage, the story is only partially complete. Trucks need to be unloaded and stocked for the next day’s projects. Equipment needs to be repaired and serviced. And of course, funding for the next round of unforeseen road emergencies must be Life Improvement... It starts with a better nights sleep. Featuring patented Beautyrest ® Pocketed Coil ® Technology. Available with Aircool ® Memory Foam for comfort. Harrison 593 Ring Road • Harrison 513-202-0731 Next to STAPLES Store Hours: Wed-Fri 11-7 • Sat 11-6 • Sun 12-5 Closed Monday & Tuesday Try a ® BeautyRest t ar Sm with the Motion base Adjustable Sleep System F R E DELIV E ERY with Mattre Beautyrest ® ss se *Ask fo t purchase r detai . ls * MORE MATTRESS FOR YOUR MONEY! OUR ADVERTISERS ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS. SHOP LOCAL AND TELL THEM YOU SAW THEIR ADS IN THE BEACON.