Re-levelling and stabilization of the concrete slabs of the Niitvalja railway crossing

During construction, four concrete slabs were installed on the railway crossing in Niitvälja (Harjumaa, Estonia), with rubble as the subsoil. The constant use of railway crossings and roads causes their condition to deteriorate over time – they are negatively affected by dynamic loads caused by heavy trucks, as well as various environmental factors. Gaps had appeared under the concrete slabs, due to which the slabs had subsided up to 15mm. Along with the concrete slabs, the railway sleepers located in them had also subsided. The subsidence had to be stopped as soon as possible to ensure safe crossing and railway traffic. Leonhard Weiss representative turned to the URETEK Baltic team with the problem.

The purpose/objective of the work was to compact the subsoil of the railway crossing and stabilize the concrete slaps without disturbing the traffic of the Estonian Railways. URETEK® patented geopolymer injection technology was used in order to avoid partially removing the concrete slabs and recreate the subsoil underneath.

The URETEK Baltic team compacted the subsoil and stabilized the concrete slabs on the railway crossing. The entire work was successfully completed in 4 hours without any railway disturbance. The stability of the concrete slabs could be/was checked immediately with the help of passing trains. After the work was finished, a large-scale cargo train also passed the crossing. In both cases, concrete slabs were not moving anymore.