CALIFORNIA STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
July 14 2024 Vol. V • No. 14
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your California Connection – Sharon Swanson – 1-760-518-4336 – sswanson@cegltd.com
Unique Drilling Operations Pace Repairs in Santa Barbara By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
A crack across a section of Highway 154 and along the outer shoulder of a section of Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County has led to the closure of the two-lane highway (with shoulders on either side) from San Antonio Creek Road to Painted Cave Road. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5 has brought in contractor Drill Tech Shoring & Drilling Inc. to remedy a solution, which now has reached the point where drilling operations are under way to help repair the roadway. Crews are installing steel rock dowels 40-ft. deep using drilling equipment. “A horizontal drilling operation is now under way,” Caltrans District 5 Public Information Officer Jim Shivers said. “This has been successful as there has been no additional roadway cracking … The insertion of vertical dowels 40 feet deep below the highway has stopped surface movement and further cracking of the pavement. In addition, inclinometers have been inserted into the slope to monitor sub-surface movement. “A temporary soil bench was created just below the highway [slope] to place the drilling equipment on it to allow for horizontal drilling,” Shivers added. “There has been some cracking at this location but has not stopped the progress of work.” Overall, work includes placing large rocks at the bottom of the slope to provide support. New drainage pipes have been installed with the rocks and pipes covered in Filter Fabric and then covered with additional material and protection. Drill Tech has between five to 10 people on-site, which is supported by five Caltrans personnel. “We have a good staff responding to this [situation],” said Shivers. “We have Caltrans engineers, CalPortland and Drill Tech [people on-site]. Relations are good.” see DOWELS page 8
Construction crews from Drill Tech Shoring & Drilling have installed steel rock dowels 40-ft. deep for the intitial start of repairs to prevent further cracking and erosion on Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County.