Access roads prove to be critical points of ingress and egress to and from remote areas where paved roads aren’t possible or prevalent. Unfortunately, because they’re often a makeshift solution that lacks permanence, access roads are subject to a variety of damaging factors—from flooding to erosion and everything in between.
The combination of being critical access portals that are frequently left without reinforcement or maintenance means that, more often than not, access roads defy their name and are frequently left inaccessible! This proves troublesome when the time comes to use them—utility vehicles and other transport vessels are unable to traverse them without the risk of becoming stuck or further degrading the access road itself.
The answer to stability without paving is simple: closed cell cable concrete mats. These mats provide a bevy of opportunity to revitalize access roads—even those that have seen years of damage and abuse due to environmental conditions. Some of these benefits include:
- Cable concrete offers extreme support for access roads thanks to its innovative pyramid design. The tapered flat top of the cable concrete mat absorbs the force of vehicles—often oversized vehicles of many tons—and channels this mass into the wide base of each cell, distributing it evenly in a way that doesn’t create depressions in the earth the way unprotected soil may experience. This design also prevents fissures that might cause damage to other concrete installations.
- The interlinked construction of mats virtually eliminates erosion—especially on sloping access roads. Unprotected soil on any grade can experience runoff from rainfalls and other moisture exposure, thus creating unsafe sloping and slippery slopes that can quickly create problems for vehicles that might have higher centers of gravity. A closed cell cable concrete mat creates traction on top of preventing erosion, solving two distinct slope problems that plague many access roads.
- The tailored approach to cable concrete makes it applicable for nearly any and all access roads, no matter the size, terrain or location of the road. From access points that take a steep incline to a riverbank, to those that stretch for miles over undulating terrain, cable concrete is a cost-effective way to create stability.
- For access roads that may be semi-permeant or chiefly temporary in their installation, closed cell cable concrete mats are ideal! Since these mats can be laid, picked up and re-laid where needed, they’re able to be as semi-permeant or temporary as the application they’re enhancing.
Cable concrete has the expansive capabilities needed to guarantee the safe travel of vehicles and people who rely on access roads to get to not-often visited areas. And, whether it’s a fully loaded service truck of several tons or an area where shifting earth and erosion are chief concerns, cable concrete is a viable installation that will prove itself time and time again.
To learn more about the many benefits of closed cell cable concrete mats and their potential in regards to your access road, contact International Erosion Control Systems Inc. today!