Shotcrete Placement for Initial Support: Climate Pledge Arena Tunnel Project

The Washington State Coliseum was an arena built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. More than half a century later, in 2019, a $1B construction program began to redevelop and expand the arena. The redeveloped building, with a new name — Climate Pledge Arena — retains the historical roof, but below the surface is another story…

Shotcrete as Final Liner — Design Considerations

The use of shotcrete placement (often called sprayed concrete) for the final permanent structural lining of underground structures and facilities continues to increase around the world. Where non-uniform shapes are required, shotcreting provides…

Practical Benefits of Shotcrete on Geotechnical Projects

This article covers the advantages of using shotcrete placement for soil nail projects. In permanent soil nail structures, shotcrete offers a wide variety of architectural finishes that can be produced economically and efficiently. This is in stark contrast to…

Lessons Learned on Spillway Shotcrete Overlay

The original Request for Bids specified that cast-in-place concrete be used, with no substitutions provided. After multiple site visits to better understand staging and access, debris removals, and placement logistics, KISC began to develop a value-engineered approach involving the use of air-entrained wet-process shotcrete to replace the cast-in-place specification…

Goose Pond Dam Improvements – 2024 Honorable Mention Project

The rehabilitation of the Goose Pond Dam was initiated by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to address significant leaking of the dam that threatened multiple downstream towns. Improvements included flattening the downstream slope, updating and improving the seepage collection system along the downstream toe of the dam…

Slope Stabilization in Kicking Horse Canyon – 2024 Honorable Mention Project

The Kicking Horse Canyon Highway, part of the Trans-Canada Highway near Golden, British Columbia, has a rich history tied to the region’s rugged geography and vital transportation needs. Originally a narrow and winding route carved into the steep canyon walls, it was built in the early 1900s to connect the mountainous interior of British Columbia with the rest of Canada.

The Diversity of Shotcrete

It is truly paramount to recognize the diversity of solutions available because of the versatility that shotcrete offers. Shotcrete placement provided more efficient, sustainable and durable concrete solutions in these two cases than could have been achieved with a form-and-pour approach.

Early Age Strength Testing for Shotcrete: 2024

For improved safety in tunneling and mining projects that use shotcrete for ground support, early shotcrete strength should be evaluated by testing. Based on their range of effectiveness, two procedures stand out: The new Hilti BX 3-SCT stud driving method and the beam end tester.