<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\tGeotechnical SITE INVESTIGATIONS<\/h4>\n
The project area is located on glacial, subglacial, fluvial and coastal lands of Quaternary origin and geomorphology. A detailed study is required between every 100 and 300 metres with different types of follow-up investigations to study the geotechnical behaviour of the ground and the existing hydrogeological model. For this reason, during the two-year duration of the project, about 1,500 geotechnical investigations will be carried out, completing more than 350 investigations that have already been done, as well as other historical investigations by the Latvian Geological Institute. In total, nine geotechnical campaigns will be done almost simultaneously.<\/p>\n
Due to the peculiarities of the region and its accessibility characteristics, the following types of research are being carried out:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A survey of old unexploded ordnance (UXO Analysis, UneXploded Ordnance):<\/b> before beginning any geotechnical investigation, a preliminary geophysical investigation with magnetometric methods is required to detect possible unexploded ordnance, remnants of World War II. This research is carried out by military experts approved by the Latvian Ministry of Defence.<\/li>\n
- Core drilling boreholes with core recovery:<\/b> oriented towards the analysis of the foundations of structures, these are boreholes 25 to 50 metres depth that analyse the substratum, taking lithological samples of soils and rocks and analysing their geomechanical behaviour in the laboratory.<\/li>\n
- Small diameter percussion gouge drilling:<\/b> this is a technique commonly used in the Baltic countries, which is not common in Spain. This consists of \u2018mini-drilling\u2019 at a maximum depth of 6 to 10 metres, which allows a quick, versatile, convenient and economical study of the influence area on the ground for the foundations of embankments. The big advantage is that these drills can be transported almost anywhere, due to their small size.<\/li>\n
- Mechanical trial pits: <\/i><\/b>the collection of soil samples using trial pits makes it possible to study its behaviour with a view to reusing it for embankment fills, given the high demand for such material.<\/li>\n
- Dynamic Penetration Tests:<\/b> although in Spain the use of DPSH (Dynamic Probing Super Heavy) and SPT (Standard Penetration Test) in boreholes are widely used as in situ<\/i> tests to measure soil strength and bearing capacity, in the Baltic countries, and specifically in Latvia, where there is a large amount of soft soils and peat areas, it is necessary to resort to lighter methods, such as DPL. This type of test requires equipment that is easier to transport and is suitable for areas that are difficult to access.<\/li>\n
- Other alternative methods:<\/b> sometimes it is necessary to resort to alternative surface sampling such as auger drilling or Shelby tubes, mainly for taking undisturbed samples from areas of peat and thixotropic soils (soils with a gel-like consistency), in order to analyse their special characteristics and geomechanical behaviour under stress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The ground conditions pose significant challenges for the implementation of the campaign: a natural environment that is difficult to access, with dense forests and numerous rivers and wetlands; the presence of wildlife such as bears, deer and reindeer; and the cold and wet climate, which affects machinery. In terms of soil type, there are large flooded areas and an abundance of soft and peaty soils, which need to be analysed in detail to avoid differential settlement and embankment failure in the future.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-10.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tQUARRIES. To build the Rail Baltica line, 8 million m3 of mineral materials will be needed. Therefore, around 100 active quarries are being inventoried within a radius of 60 kilometres around the route.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-11.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tINVENTORY OF BUILDINGS. Nikita Grismanovskis making an inventory of houses for the noise survey.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-12.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tMULTINATIONAL TEAM. From left to right, Vidas Milisauskas (Ardanuy), Nikita Grismanovskis (Ineco), J\u0101nis Plakanis (Rail Baltica), Edgars Oglin\u0161 (Rail Baltica), Antanas Veselka (Ardanuy) and Israel Gonz\u00e1lez (Ineco). During field visits they were also advised by Rail Baltica\u2019s geotechnical engineers Christopher Davies and P\u0113teris \u0160\u0137\u0113ls.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-13.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tDRAINAGE. Existing elements and watercourses are regularly measured in order to design new drainage works according to the expected flow and return period.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-14.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTHE TERRAIN. Most of the 94 kilometres run through forests and wetlands, over soils of glacial, sub-glacial, fluvial and coastal of Quaternary origin and morphology.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-15.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTRACKS AND STATIONS. The route runs through different stations, such as Salacgriva, Adazi or Skulte, where it will coexist alongside the old conventional network station.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n Other works<\/h4>\n
The Ineco team is also working to locate deposits for the supply of materials. The Latvia North section will be built almost entirely on embankments with an average height of 4 to 5 metres along its 94-kilometre length. This amounts to some 8 million m3<\/sup> of material. Therefore, all active quarries in a 60-kilometre radius surrounding the route, some 100 in total, are being inventoried.<\/p>\n
In addition, nearly 1,000 affected buildings have been visited, studied and inventoried in order to design measures to minimise the acoustic impact of the future railway line, one of the fundamental aspects of the project from an environmental point of view.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, drainage works, viaducts, canals or unique features of the terrain are being routinely visited to take measurements and gather detailed information on the construction elements for the rest of the team.<\/p>\n
Ineco\u2019s local team is also in charge of coordinating and obtaining construction permits, which requires coordinating all those involved: administrations, municipalities, public companies and owners.<\/p>\n
It should also be noted that all the geotechnical investigations carried out are integrated into the project\u2019s BIM environment, using specialised software. This provides a 3D geological model, which enables the interaction of structures and construction elements with the local geology to be observed, facilitates a more detailed, accurate and efficient design, and improves the planning of works.<\/p>\n
The Latvia North section, through forests and rivers<\/span><\/h4>\n\t\t\t
<\/p>\nThe section has been divided into three sections: section I, from the Estonian-Latvian border to Vitrupe, 25.8 km; section II, from Vitrupe to Skulte, 39.9 km, which is mostly in forest; and section III, from Skulte to Vangazi, 29.3 km, which is considered the most complex. The largest viaduct on the entire line will be built here, over the Gauja River, with a total length of approximately 1.5 kilometres and a span of more than 150 metres. In total, the section will require, according to preliminary estimates, the construction of some 50 structures, including 16 railway bridges, 36 road viaducts and 6 eco-ducts.<\/p>\n
Although the route crosses important population centres such as Salacgriva, Skulte, Seja, Adazi and Vangazi, the majority of it runs through large forests, which cover more than 70% of the country\u2019s surface area. Numerous rivers intersect the route, including the Salaca at Salacgriva and the Gauja River near Vangazi, as well as the Zakupite, Liepupe, Vitrupe, Tora and Svetupe. The route abandons its straight course to avoid the large area of natural peat bogs known as Dzelves Purvs, consisting of up to six metres of soft organic soils.
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/72-reportajes-baltica-16.jpg\")
<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ineco has completed the first phase of the geotechnical site investigations prior to the beginning of works on the 94-kilometre section of the future Rail Baltica line known as Latvia North. The project will run until 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":231,"featured_media":4745,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[600,2146,592],"tags":[617,2148,1797],"coauthors":[2147,1752,2142],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/231"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4763"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4768,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763\/revisions\/4768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4763"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Core drilling boreholes with core recovery:<\/b> oriented towards the analysis of the foundations of structures, these are boreholes 25 to 50 metres depth that analyse the substratum, taking lithological samples of soils and rocks and analysing their geomechanical behaviour in the laboratory.<\/li>\n