Sarthe River Bank, Le Mans, France

Our Terra-Lock solution was chosen for the reinforcement of a riverbank alongside the Sarthe River, flowing through the city of Le Mans, in the West of France. Instead of a soldier pile wall with wood lagging, the installer chose to use our solution thus saving time and money.

Setting up a soldier pile wall using heavy an excavator with a pile driver was not possible because of the lack of space. Terra-Lock was the perfect solution thanks to its lightweight machinery requirements on this narrow path.
  • Project : River bank
  • Location : Le Mans
  • Services : Soldier pile wall with wood lagging replacement

We had been contacted by Colas for a project on the banks of the Sarthe River in the West of France near the city of Le Mans. Their problem was the limited access to the slope that would not allow heavy machinery near the river bank.

For this project, Gripple's engineering office offered a full technical study, with specifications and recommendations.
The city of Le Man even asked an external engineering office for a technical opinion which gave the green light. Our solution was then chosen because of the ease of installation and cheaper cost compared to a soldier pile wall. Throughout the project, our sales representative was also present to provide support and training to the installer.

The Terra-Lock system associates a G-MAT geotextile with an anchoring device driven down into the ground with a GPD Post Driver and a drive rod. This allows for quick installation and does not require the use of heavy machinery, a particularly interesting benefit for this project, since access to the river bank was very narrow.

Furthermore, on a riverbank, the Terra-Lock systems offers a more natural finish than other solutions: the G-MAT is designed to allow vegetation regrowth making the solution invisible after a few months. Installation was carried out in less than a month, saved more than 70 000 € to the installer, and the logistics of the project were easier thanks to one delivery with all materials, and equipment to carry out the installation.

Download
Tags: Civil Construction

  Gripple solution Traditional method
Overview 720 TL-100 with TL-A3, 1120 TL-P3
12 30m² rolls of G-MAT C550
Drive Tool, GPD and JackJaw
Berliner soldier pile wall
Excavator mounted vibrodriver
Installation time 3 weeks 4 weeks
Total weight of the materials 47 000 € 120 000 €

Related Stories

Civil Construction
Hydroelectric Powerplant, Ehnwihr, France
21 February 2020

Featured Products

G-MAT

Terra-Lock® G-MAT is a lightweight, long-lasting, environmentally friendly, tough and flexible reinforced erosion control mat

» View this product

Why use Gripple?

  • Significant time and cost savings on your project
  • Aesthetic solutions for greener environments
  • A lightweight system which minimises health and safety concerns
  • Innovative, patented solutions designed by an in-house team of engineers
  • Considerable reductions in packaging, vehicle movements and embodied CO2
  • A range of support services at every stage of your project, provided by a dedicated technical team