Innovative Techniques In The Construction Of Embankment Widening

Urban constraints to new route acquisition commonly require the widening of railway and motorway formations, and require this to be done with no or minimal land resumption. The sloped sides of cuttings have to become vertical pile walls or sub-vertical nailed slopes, and embankments require retaining walls to support a wider formation. The widening of embankments is typically the more difficult task, and commonly gives rise to significant cost and time to construct issues, particularly where the embankment widening is coupled with construction of a noise wall. The construction of the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL) as an additional track on the existing formation of the Main South Railway has required innovative approaches to this task, using both piled slabs to support the track bed and also retaining walls where the track is supported on an embankment.