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Lightweight AIL Sound Walls used in Houston METRORail expansion

Lightweight and easy-to-install AIL Sound Walls were recently selected for a particular section of Houston’s major METRORail expansion, where the City of Houston was concerned about protecting their main sewer and storm drainage lines.

Designed special continuous footing foundation
The City didn’t want a standard precast concrete sound barrier in this section, fearing its weight might damage the pipelines making any future repair/maintenance access more difficult. We worked closely with the consultant to design a continuous footing foundation, as traditional drilled pillar footings could not be used due to the underground services.

Part of a design-build project by Houston Rapid Transit Joint Venture
The METRORail expansion was part of a $2 billion design-build project by Houston Rapid Transit Joint Venture (HRT JV) that included four new stations and 27 kilometres of new track. The HRT JV team included Parsons Transportation Group, Granite Construction Company, Kiewit Texas Construction L.P., and Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.

Donning the pads for the University of Houston practice field
The barrier also bordered the University of Houston’s football practice field and the University was concerned about protecting their football players. They asked that we design the barrier to allow for mounting heavy protective pads on the back.

This was a late add-on to the project, so we had to react quickly. We collaborated with the fence pad supplier to ensure our system was designed properly to accept and support their heavy load. We had to integrate extra reinforcement into our barrier and revised shop drawings and production followed suit.

The barrier was supplied in a timely fashion and installed in just under two weeks. According to our colleagues at HRT JV, the METRORail and University teams are both happy with the new barrier and received only positive feedback on the sleek look of our Tuf-Barrier (Reflective) solution over the standard precast alternatives.

Maybe we’ll be seeing more of them in the future.

 

Related Houston Project Articles:

Next City: In 2014, Houston Heads West as Light Rail Goes East »
Metro Magazine: Houston’s light rail expansion moves forward with Purple Line »

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