Utilization Of Coal Mine Refuse In Highway Embankment Construction ? Introduction

Since early 1973, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has been actively engaged in the utilization of coal mine refuse in the design and construction of highway embankments. The Soils and Geological Engineering Division of the Bureau of Materials, Testing and Research has the task of managing the program which includes field investigations, laboratory testing, engineering evaluation, planning, coordination, implementation, construction control, and review of construction performance. The objectives of the utilization program, in removing colliery refuse banks and utilizing the material in construction, are the environmental and aesthetic rehabilitation of those areas in the Anthracite and Bituminous coal fields which have been plagued for such a long time by air and water pollution, and unsightly landscapes; and the economic rehabilitation of those areas occupied by refuse banks by providing usable land which can now be developed as residential, business, or industrial sites.