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Grassy roadside embankment with a stone-lined drainage pipe, metal guardrail, and dense evergreen forest.

Repair of flood damage "Leubethaer Straße" in Freiberg, Germany

Following severe flood damage to Leubethaer Street in Freiberg, Germany, the collapsed road embankment was reconstructed as a geogrid-reinforced soil structure. Secugrid® geogrids provide reinforcement, while Secumat® protects the steep slope face against erosion.

Collapsed forest road after a landslide, with exposed earth and a fallen tree.
Collapsed forest road after a landslide, with exposed earth and a fallen tree.
Landslide in the area of "Leubethaer Straße"
Landslide in the area of "Leubethaer Straße"

Challenge

In May 2018 a storm front hit the Vogtland region in Germany with full force. Up to 150l of rainfall were measured in one hour. In the Adorf district of Freiberg the heavy rainfall caused the greatest damage of the storm. Over a length of 30m the Leubethaer Street was washed away. A culvert located in this area could no longer absorb the enormous quantities of water. This led to a water accumulation within the road embankment. Fine particles of the fill soil were successively washed out and the slope collapsed completely.

Two yellow excavators spreading gravel during forest road construction.
Two yellow excavators spreading gravel during forest road construction.
Installation of fill soil above Secugrid® geogrid
Installation of fill soil above Secugrid® geogrid

Solution

With financial support from the Federal State of Saxony, the failed slope was rehabilitated. The reconstruction of the embankment was carried out as geogrid-reinforced soil structure (GRS) with Secugrid® geogrids from Naue. Over a length of approx. 54m the road embankment was rebuilt with a slope inclination of 70°.

The Naue Steel P system was used for the design of the facing. This system consists of galvanized steel mesh units, which can be adapted to the planned contour of the slope. By overlapping the horizontal part of the steel mesh with the uniaxial Secugrid® geogrid a frictional connection is achieved. A total of 11 geogrid layers were installed for the maximum embankment height of 7.7m. The individual geogrids were each covered with 50cm of fill soil and then compacted in layers.

To prevent soil erosion at the slope face, a Secumat® erosion control mat was installed between the steel mesh and the filling soil. The subsequent greening of the embankment surface helps integrate the GRS structure into the surrounding landscape. With the GRS solution chosen for this project, the road embankment was reconstructed using a combination of geogrid reinforcement and erosion protection.

Project benefits

  • Safety

    Reliable reinforcement for steep embankments

    Secugrid® enabled the reconstruction of the road embankment with a slope inclination of up to 70°.

  • Speed

    Efficient layered construction

    Eleven geogrid layers were installed to reinforce the embankment up to a height of 7.7 m.

  • Project name
    Repair of flood damage „Leubethaer Straße“ in Freiberg, Germany
  • Designer
    Ökoplan Bauplanung GmbH, Plauen, Germany
  • General contractor
    UTR Umwelt-, Tiefbau und Recycling GmbH, Schönbrunn/Vogtland, Germany
  • Subcontractor GRS
    GGS TerraCon GmbH, Moritzburg, Germany
  • Products
    Secugrid® 80/20 R6
    Secugrid® 40/20 R6
    Secumat® ES 401 G4

No. 00578