Concrete Canvas Solutions: Protecting the Pan Arab Highway Slopes in Lebanon's Bekaa

Concrete Canvas® GCCM* (CC) was specified as an erosion protection solution to a slope alongside the Pan Arab Highway in the Bekaa region of Lebanon

Bulk rolls of the specified CC5™ were delivered to the site and mounted onto a spreader beam hung from a truck crane which was positioned at the base of the slope for safer deployment. The CC was lifted and positioned at the top of the slope, with the edge of the material secured at the crest within an anchor trench using ground pegs. The material was then unrolled down the face of the slope, with the installation team manually assisting with the positioning of the material to ensure subsequent layers overlapped the last by 100mm. Overlapping layers were thermally bonded and the joints then reinforced using concrete bolts, positioned at 100mm intervals. Where CC met existing concrete infrastructure, shot-fired concrete nails were used to secure the material. Once the installation was completed, the CC was hydrated before the anchor trenches were backfilled with ready-mix concrete to prevent ingress of water beneath the material.

A total of 9600m² of CC5™ were installed in less than 30 working days by a team of eight people. The works were carried out in temperatures of between 18ºC and 28ºC, and often in rainy conditions. Despite the steep nature of the slope and its proximity to the highway, no lane possession was required, with access provided by the service lanes. The client was happy with the results and are planning to specify CC for further projects in the near future.