Laserfiche WebLink
Report of Geotechnical Exploration and Review <br />Fox Street Improvements, Orono, Minnesota AMERICAN <br />July 29, 2016 ENGINEERING <br />Report No. 20-14448 TESTING, INC. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Page 4 of 12 <br />(fine alluvium and glacial till) at Boring Nos. 11, 12, and 19. Boring Nos. 19 through 22 <br />terminated in organic clay at depths of 16 feet below grade. <br /> <br />5.3.1 Critical Subgrade Zone <br />The limiting soils concerning pavement support in the upper 3 feet of subgrade below the <br />pavement generally consisted of sandy lean clay and clayey sand with general AASHTO <br />Classification designations of A-2-6, A-6, and A-7-6. These classifications are indicative of frost <br />susceptible soils, which can heave when frozen, and also lose strength upon thawing in the <br />spring. This type of subgrade is susceptible to pavement damage from heavy trucks during <br />periods when the subgrade is coming out of thawing, or when in a saturated condition. <br />Enforcement of load restrictions in the spring for these types of pavement is important; however, <br />some vehicles such as garbage trucks regularly travel over streets even in the load restriction <br />period. <br /> <br />5.4 Groundwater <br />We measured groundwater in 3 of the borings at the time of drilling. Groundwater was not <br />observed in the other 21 borings performed for the project. Groundwater was observed at Boring <br />Nos. 4, 11, and 20 at depths of 8.6 feet, 14 feet, and 13 feet below grade, respectively. The <br />majority of the site soils are relatively slow draining clayey soils and an extended period of time <br />would be required for ground water to appear and stabilize in an open borehole; therefore, the <br />absence of ground water in our borings should not be taken to mean that ground water would not <br />be encountered in an excavation. Perched groundwater levels can occur in sand and clay <br />matrixes and groundwater may be encountered if deeper excavations are performed at the site. <br />Long-term groundwater level measurements were not part of our scope of services on this <br />project. <br /> <br />Groundwater levels fluctuate due to varying seasonal and annual rainfall and snowmelt amounts, <br />as well as other factors. <br /> <br />5.5 Engineering Review of Soil Properties <br />Typically, the granular materials encountered have moderate to high strength, unless they <br />become disturbed. In general, the less silty granular materials possess good to moderate drainage <br />characteristics, while the silty sands have fair drainage characteristics. The clayey sand and lean <br />clay soils have poor drainage characteristics. The silty sands have at least a moderate