In June 1999, E.L. Robinson Co. began to prepare construction plans and related documents for a 1.75 mile segment of a new four-lane of Harrison County Route 24. The project also included 700 foot long twin bridges over the West Fork River .
The project was "fast-tracked" and the construction plans had to be completed as soon as possible. The E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. staff studied the project sequencing and examined design phases where time could be saved. The result of this study was that several weeks of design time could be expedited if a method could be developed to get the geotechnical data into the hands of the highway designers as the data became available.
E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. staff developed an innovative method of using ELR-SOIL software and a process which utilized notebook computers and the latest computer technology to send drilling and geotechnical information from the project site to the office as quickly and efficiently as possible. ELR-SOIL is a Comprehensive Windows NT/98/95 Program for processing Geotechnical Testing and Exploration Data. This program has been developed by E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. using Borland Delphi 4.0 Client Server Edition.
The drilling contractor began the core boring operation on August 9, 1999 . The core boring program consisted of drilling 60 roadway borings and 32 bridge borings. A total of 6,209 feet of core boring was completed by September 1, 1999 .
E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. staff inspected the core boring operation and utilized ELR-SOIL computer software to log the core boring information at the project site. The core boring inspectors input core boring information into a notebook computer running the ELR-SOIL software as the core boring operation was taking place. The following data is entered into the ELR-SOIL software:
- General Project Information
- Soil Layer
- Sampling/Testing
- Types of Testing
The ELR-SOIL software compiles this data and generates boring log reports and drawings as per WV Department of Highways specifications and guidelines. The boring log drawings can also be readily used in any number of CAD packages such as Microstation , AutoCAD, IntelliCAD , etc. As part of construction plans, the boring logs are drawn at different scales for different drawings. This program automatically generates boring logs to fit into any drawing as desired by the highway engineer.
The development of slope review plans were expedited since the boring log files were electronically transmitted to highway design staff as the core borings were completed. This allowed our highway design staff to complete design of the highway slopes as the drilling was complete. By using ELR-SOIL software, E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. was able to complete the slope review plans within one week of the completion of drilling.
