Big Dig Boston

Faced with an extraordinary traffic mess, Boston needed to replace its main highway system, starting a project referred to as the Big Dig. The project included major highway interchanges to connect the new roadways with the existing regional highway system.

A lightweight solution was required to reduce stress on the underlying soil and prevent settlement while still withstanding heavy pressure from vehicles. Geofoam was selected to provide the solution. In addition to being lightweight, Geofoam is an engineered fill material with known load bearing properties. Additionally, with the speed of construction, installation of Geofoam saved money and time compared to the conventional method for building dirt embankments that require drill shafts and concrete support pillars and can take months to complete.