Ankara-Niğde Motorway Construction Site Bears Emülzer's Signature

About the Project

Ankara - Niğde Motorway is an incomplete section of the TEM (Trans European Motorway) that begins in Edirne, passes through Istanbul, and continues via Bolu, Ankara, and Pozantı to reach Adana and Gaziantep, terminating in Şanlıurfa, with a further Şanlıurfa-Habur section planned for future construction. Upon completion of this route, Turkey will be connected from north to south with uninterrupted access-controlled motorway. For this reason, this missing section is of crucial importance for the continuous operation of the highway. Additionally, the route will provide improved access to tourism sites along the corridor (Salt Lake, Nevşehir Derinkuyu, Göreme, Cappadocia, etc.), which is also significant. The motorway comprises: 4 viaducts with a combined length of 3,472 m, 24 overpass bridges, 3 underpass bridges, 19 interchange bridges, 1 river crossing bridge, 436 box culverts, 126 underpasses, 2 maintenance and operations centers, 6 rest areas, 4 service areas, 12 toll collection stations, and 12 interchanges.

Motorway Project Phases

In engineering services, the concept of planning is defined as methods for achieving appropriate structures with minimal resource expenditure over short, medium, and long-term periods while providing maximum socioeconomic benefit. From this perspective, the widespread use of planning techniques becomes inevitable in every stage of highway planning, construction, and operation phases. Planning studies generally must ensure that service-related activities are carried out under optimal conditions, determine which road should be built when and to what standard, establish road networks and road standards, increase energy efficiency and reduce external energy dependence, and minimize investment and operating costs as well as environmental impact and costs along the route.

Survey and Design

All cross-sections taken from the site are drawn. Black elevations along the axis are drawn in horizontal-vertical scale to obtain the ground profile. Considering the survey sheet and cross-sections, the red line is drawn. The gradients and red elevations of the determined red line are calculated. The type and dimensions of structures to be placed where the road axis crosses stream beds must be determined through office and field research. The determined red line is examined in the field, and corrections are made where necessary. Soil surveys are conducted to determine the soil information required for the project, and a soil investigation report is prepared. Maximum super-elevation values to be applied on horizontal curves are determined, and super-elevation calculations are performed. Following the preparation of the soil investigation report, templates are applied to cross-sections to calculate fill and cut areas. Soil volume calculations are performed taking into account the compaction and swell factors given in the investigation report.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Process

ESIA is an environmental and social assessment process prepared in accordance with international standards currently in effect at lending institutions. The ESIA process is based on EIA studies conducted according to local EIA Regulations and updates and complements existing studies with additional environmental and social studies. A comprehensive EIA process covering the entire motorway route as well as quarries and borrow pits was conducted for the project, and the project's National EIA Report was prepared in 2016 by a qualified local consulting company (DOKAY Engineering and Consulting Ltd.) in accordance with national EIA Regulations and other applicable legislation. Based on this EIA Report, a "Positive EIA Opinion" was obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in 2016. Within this process, public participation meetings were held in July 2015 in six provinces along the motorway route: Ankara, Konya, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Nevşehir, and Niğde. More than 30 official institutions participated in the EIA Report's scope determination, review, and evaluation studies. An Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP), Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP) Framework, and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) Framework were also prepared for the project. The conduct of baseline social studies, assessment of potential social impacts, and preparation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), RAP Framework, and LRP Framework fell under the responsibility of SRM Consulting; Regio Cultural Heritage Management Consulting prepared the Cultural Heritage Management Plan by conducting cultural heritage site surveys and evaluating potential impacts on cultural heritage.

Land Acquisition

In accordance with applicable national legislation, the acquisition of required land is being/will be conducted first through land consolidation, or where this is not applicable, through expropriation. Land consolidation is carried out by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Agricultural Reform Directorate General, while expropriation work falls under the responsibility of the General Directorate of Highways.

Construction Stripping

The first phase of road substructure work is the removal of all trees, branches, plants, and unnecessary materials within the road construction boundaries defined in the plans and designs. After the removal of soil on the road, weak foundations are identified to prevent problems in the road superstructure and road structures (fills, cuts, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, etc.) during operation. After identification of weak foundations, excavation work begins. Excavation consists of digging all soil and rock materials within the road construction boundaries in accordance with the elevation, gradient, and cross-sections shown in the design plans. All suitable materials from excavation are used in fill construction, base and shoulder construction, at structure locations and backfills, and at other locations found to be economical and suitable.

Fill Work

Upon completion of excavation work, road drainage operations are carried out to remove underground and surface water, referred to as drainage work, without damaging the road structure. Following completion of drainage work, fill work begins to create the section between the natural ground and the road superstructure to enable positioning of the road template in accordance with the project vertical line elevations. Fill work is performed using suitable material obtained from cuts, excavations for structures, or borrow pits, with the gradients, cross-sections, and elevations shown in the project. All fills are placed in horizontal layers and compacted from the ground surface they rest on. Upon completion of compaction of the fill layer, quality control tests are performed by the control engineer in the designated road sections before a new layer is placed on top. Following completion of fill work, the work proceeds to the grading phase, which is the final and control phase of the road substructure. In the grading phase, after structures (bridges, tunnels, culverts, retaining walls, facing walls, reinforced walls, and other engineering structures) and earthwork are completed within their respective sections in accordance with specified principles, fine grading of the wearing surface, ditches, cut and fill slopes are performed using graders or other blade grading equipment and manual labor, or entirely by manual labor, and full conformity with the design must be achieved for grading acceptance. Superstructure Road superstructure is the road structure that includes wearing course, base, and subbase layers. Following completion of road substructure work—the earthwork level—subbase, base, and asphalt layers are applied, and in special cases concrete or paver wearing courses, which are part of superstructure work. In current road engineering practice, all types of guardrail construction, vertical and horizontal markings are also included in superstructure work.

Subbase

The subbase layer is the lowest stabilized layer placed between the base surface and the base layer with appropriate binders. The subbase is generally constructed over frost-susceptible subgrades in areas where frost occurs or over subgrades with low bearing capacity. Besides carrying loads from the road surface, the subbase absorbs water from the water table and aids in drainage.

Base

The layer placed beneath the wearing course, consisting of granular material or material processed with an appropriate binder. The primary purpose of the base layer is to provide support for the wearing course and increase the load-bearing capacity of the superstructure. The base layer must be capable of resisting high shear stresses resulting from traffic loads and must have the property of remaining in equilibrium at high moisture content.

Asphalt

Hot-mix asphalt wearing course consists of aggregates homogeneously mixed and bound with asphalt cement. To achieve proper consistency of the asphalt cement and ensure perfect mixing and workability, both materials (aggregate and asphalt) must be heated before mixing. Aggregate heated to appropriate temperatures, dried, and mixed with one of the above binders at appropriate temperature and duration is called "Bituminous Hot Mix." After heating, weighing, screening, and mixing of aggregate and asphalt are performed at asphalt plants, the produced material is safely transported by trucks to the site, placed in paver hoppers, and laid in uniform layers by the paver to provide a smooth and homogeneous surface. After laying, while the mix is still hot, it is compacted with vibratory rollers of appropriate weight and type at suitable temperatures until a smooth and specification-conforming density is achieved.

Concrete Work

Concrete is a construction material composed of homogeneously mixed cement, water, aggregate, chemical and mineral additives; initially in plastic consistency, shapeable, and over time hardening and gaining strength. All structures such as hydraulic works—dikes, culverts, and bridges—constructed to protect roads, and structures such as retaining walls and facing walls constructed to reduce the dimensions of cut and fill slopes or prevent landslides for any reason are collectively called engineering structures.

Bridge

A bridge is a structure that connects both sides of a difficult-to-cross obstacle such as a river or valley, connects two separated shores, or allows one traffic flow to pass over another without interruption.

Viaduct

An elevated road or bridge constructed to cross deep valleys; an elevated road, dry bridge. Viaduct is the term given to structures connecting two high points by a bridge, generally across a valley separated by a river.

Culvert

Hydraulic structures used to pass small water courses that flow continuously or form as a result of rainfall from one side of the road structure to the other.

Concrete Protection and Waterproofing

Reinforced concrete structures buried in soil are exposed to moisture, dampness, plant roots, and organic matter from the soil. These organic materials and moisture cause corrosion of the steel within the reinforced concrete. Although corrosion develops over many years, it immediately shows its effects and damages the reinforced concrete. Concrete "absorbs water like sugar" drawing in moisture from the environment, causing capillary rise within its mass. The water entering the structure is subject to freeze-thaw cycles and cracks the concrete. On the other hand, plant roots are also quite powerful, entering through the weakest points of concrete (segregation, etc.), establishing themselves, and eventually cracking the concrete. For the reasons mentioned above, to prevent future structural damage, bitumen-based waterproofing products of "anionic" type, also referred to as "tar-coating," are used on concrete surfaces. The use of bitumen on reinforced concrete surfaces in contact with soil in culverts and viaducts is also specified in TS 113. In this project, Emülzer Emilkote was selected and used. Quality tests and consumption control of Emilkote were performed on site. Subsequently, it was selected based on price/quality performance. Cem Ercan Civil Engineer Project and Technical Sales Manager Emülzer       Samet Memiş Civil Engineer Quality Control Manager ERG Construction