Emülzer Signature at Ankara-Niğde Highway Construction Site

About the Project

Ankara-Niğde Motorway is the unfinished section of the TEM (Trans European Motorway) Motorway, which starts in Edirne, passes through Istanbul and is completed in Şanlıurfa by reaching Bolu, Ankara, Pozantı via Adana and Gaziantep and planned to be finished in the future. By the completion of the route, Turkey will be connected north to south as an uninterrupted controlled access. For this reason, this interrupted section carries great importance for the continuity of the line. It is also important that this route will provide ease of access to the tourism points which pass along the route such as Tuzgölü, Nevşehir Derinkuyu, Göreme, Cappadocia, etc. Within this motorway; there are 4 viaducts total 3,472 m long, 24 overpass bridges, 3 underpass bridges, 19 intersection bridges, 1 river crossing bridge, 436 box culverts, 126 underpasses, 2 maintenance management centers, 6 parking areas, 4 units service area, 12 fee collection stations and 12 intersections.

Motorway Project Stages

The concept of planning in engineering services can be described as gaining the most socioeconomic benefit while producing the appropriate structure with minimum resource expenditure. From this point of view, it is inevitable that planning techniques are widely used at every stage of highway planning, construction and operation phases. Planning studies are generally conducted to ensure that activities related to the service are carried out in the best conditions, to determine when and which standards should be applied, to determine road networks and road standards, and to reduce energy dependence by increasing energy efficiency, reduce investment and operating costs and minimize environmental impact and cost for the route it passes through.

Study-Project

All cross sections taken from the field are drawn. Throughout the axis, ground levels are drawn on the horizontal-vertical scale to obtain the land profile. The design line is drawn by taking into consideration the survey sheet and cross sections. The slopes and design elevations of the detected line are calculated. The type and dimensions of the engineering structures to be placed where the road axis crosses stream beds should be determined on the board and on site. The determined design line is inspected by visiting the field and corrected where necessary changes are required. A ground investigation report is prepared through ground studies to determine the soil information required for the project. By determining maximum allowable values for horizontal curves, superelevation calculations are carried out. After the preparation of the ground investigation report, filling and cutting areas are calculated by processing the grade into the sections. Soil volume calculations are made by taking into consideration the compression and expansion factors given in the research report.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Process

The ESIA is an environmental and social assessment process prepared in accordance with the international standards of credit institutions. The ESIA process is based on EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) studies conducted according to the local EIA Regulation and integrates current studies with additional environmental and social studies. A full-scale EIA process was carried out for the project, including all highway routes, as well as quarries and borrowed pits. The Project's National EIA Report was prepared in 2016 by a competent local consultancy company (DOKAY Engineering and Consulting Ltd.) in accordance with the national EIA Regulation and other applicable regulations. According to that EIA Report, an EIA Positive Decision was obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in 2016. Within the scope of this process, in July 2015, public participation meetings were held in six provinces, including Ankara, Konya, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Nevşehir and Niğde cities on the motorway route. More than 30 official institutions participated in scoping, observation and evaluation of the EIA Report. In addition, the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP), Livelihood Reconstruction Plan (GRP) Framework and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) Framework were prepared for the project. SRM Consultancy is responsible for carrying out the current situation social assessment, evaluating the possible social impacts and preparing the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), RAP Framework and the GRP Framework. Regio Cultural Heritage Management Consultancy also prepared the Cultural Heritage Management Plan by conducting studies on the evaluation of cultural heritage site surveys and potential impacts on cultural heritage.

Land Acquisition

In accordance with the relevant national legislation, the purchase of the required land is or will be carried out primarily by land consolidation or expropriation where this is not the case. While land consolidation is being carried out by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, General Directorate of Agricultural Reform, expropriation works are covered by KGM. Construction Soil Stripping

The first phase of road infrastructure works is the removal of all kinds of trees, branches, plants and unnecessary materials within the road construction boundaries defined in the plans and projects. After the removal of soil on the road, during the operation of the road superstructure and road structures (fill, cut, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, etc.), weak grounds are detected in order to prevent any problems. After the determination of weak grounds, excavation works are started. Excavation works can be explained as the excavation of all kinds of grounds and rocks within the road construction boundaries in accordance with the elevations, slopes and cross-sections shown in the plan projects. All materials suitable for the construction of the fills are used in the construction of the base, berms, in the places of engineering structures and in the backfills where they are economically and conveniently located.

Filling Works

After the completion of the excavation works, drainage works are carried out to remove the underground and surface waters of the road without damaging the road body. Following the completion of drainage works, filling works are started to form the part of the road between the natural ground and the upper part of the road so that the road grade can be placed in accordance with the vertical lines of the project. With appropriate materials from cuts, engineering structures and borrows, the slopes shown in the project are filled in cross sections and elevations. All fills are made by laying them in horizontal layers from the ground surface. After the compaction of the filling layer is completed, quality control testing is performed on the road sections determined by the control engineer before the new layer is laid on it. After the completion of the filling works, the final phase of the road infrastructure and the control phase, which means the finishing phase, is started. In the finishing phase, after completion of the construction of the engineering structures (bridges, tunnels, culverts, retaining walls, shoring walls, fortifications, etc.) and earthworks in accordance with the specified principles, fine grading of the fine grading surface, ditches and slopes are carried out with graders or other grading machinery with blades and/or hand work in accordance with the shape, size and elevations. Acceptance of the finishing is required to ensure full compliance with the project.

Superstructure

Road superstructure is the road structure that includes wearing course, base and sub-base layers. Road substructure works, which include the works after the end of the soil work level, contain sub-base, foundation and asphalt wearing course layers and concrete wearing course or concrete block wearing course works in special cases. In today's highway construction approach, all kinds of guardrails, vertical and horizontal road markings are also included in the superstructure works.

Sub-base

The sub-base layer is the lowest layer placed between the subgrade surface and the base layer and stabilized with suitable binders. The sub-base is generally constructed on frost-sensitive subgrade surfaces in frost-exposed areas or on subgrade surfaces with low bearing capacity. The sub-base layer aids drainage by absorbing water from the groundwater level while also carrying the load from the road surface.

Base

It is a granular or treated material with a suitable binder that is placed under a wearing course layer. The main task of the base layer is to increase the load-carrying capacity of the superstructure by providing support for the wearing course layer. The base layer should be able to withstand high shear stresses due to traffic loads and should be able to remain stable at high moisture levels.

Asphalt

Hot mix asphalt pavement consists of a homogenous mixture of asphalt cement and graded aggregates. Both materials (aggregate and asphalt) must be heated before mixing the aggregates and asphalt cement in order to ensure proper mixing and workability. By heating to appropriate temperatures, dried and graded aggregate mixed with one of the above binders at a suitable temperature and duration is called Bituminous Hot Mix. After the heating, weighing, sieving and mixing of the aggregate and asphalt are carried out in asphalt plants, and they are then transported safely by trucks. It is fed to pavers and laid to ensure a smooth and homogeneous surface. After laying, with suitable weight and type of rollers, the mixture is compacted by cylinders at a suitable temperature until it is smooth and until proper density is achieved.

Concrete Works

Concrete is a construction material consisting of a homogenous mixture of cement, water, aggregate, chemical and mineral additives, which has a plastic consistency initially and can be shaped. Concrete hardens and gains durability after an amount of time. Structures such as retaining and shoring walls, hydraulic structures, concrete pipes, culverts and bridges, used for reducing the dimensions of excavation and filling slopes or for preventing landslides are called engineering structures.

Bridge

A structure that connects either side of a barrier that is difficult to cross, such as rivers and valleys, or connects either side of a barrier in order to achieve traffic flow without passing through another traffic stream.

Viaduct

An elevated road or bridge used to pass over deep valleys. The viaduct is the name given to structures that connect two high points—usually across a river dividing a valley—with a bridge.

Culvert

Hydraulic engineering structures used for passing small streams, which are usually formed as a result of continuous flowing, from one side to the other side of the road body.

Concrete Protection and Waterproofing

Reinforced concrete structures under the soil are exposed to moisture, plant roots and organic matter from the soil. These organic materials and moisture corrode the reinforcement in the reinforced concrete. Corrosion occurs after many years, but immediately damages the concrete. Concrete draws in water from the environment "like sugar absorbs water" and causes it to rise through capillarity. Water entering the body is subjected to freeze-thaw cycles and causes concrete cracking. On the other hand, plant roots are also quite strong, making themselves penetrate where the concrete is weakest (segregation, etc.) and break the concrete over time. For the reasons mentioned above, bitumen-based "anionic" waterproofing products, which are also defined as "tar-whitewash," are used in order to prevent building damage in the future. The use of bitumen on concrete surfaces that come into contact with the soil in the viaducts is also indicated in TS 113. Emülzer Emilkote was preferred and used in this project. Quality tests and consumption control of Emilkote were performed in the field. It was preferred because of its price/quality performance. Cem Ercan Civil Engineer M.Sc. Project and Technical Sales Manager Emülzer   Samet Memiş Civil Engineer Quality Control Chief ERG İnşaat