Challenges

Challenges

 

Conventional repairs rely on excavation, replacement, and long curing times—often requiring weeks of closures and diversions. The socio-economic cost is huge: on the M11 Girton Interchange, a 9-week full closure would have created £14.8m in indirect costs.

Geobear provides a faster, lower-risk alternative. Our engineered geopolymer is injected through 12–40mm holes to fill voids, compact weak soils, and re-level slabs with millimeter precision. Roads reopen within one hour of treatment, avoiding prolonged disruption.

a10-drilling

Road networks face relentless pressures

Heavy dynamic loading from HGVs that overstress pavements not designed for today’s traffic volumes.

Slab settlement, rocking, and pumping, often caused by voiding in poorly compacted subgrades or high water tables.

Reflective cracking in asphalt, driven by joint movement in underlying concrete bays.

Differential settlement at bridge approaches, where poor backfill or voids above pier caps undermine ride quality.

Washout voids from burst mains or water ingress, leaving hidden collapse risks beneath carriageways.

Road networks face relentless pressures:

  • Heavy dynamic loading from HGVs that overstress pavements not designed for today’s traffic volumes.

  • Slab settlement, rocking, and pumping, often caused by voiding in poorly compacted subgrades or high water tables.

  • Reflective cracking in asphalt, driven by joint movement in underlying concrete bays.

  • Differential settlement at bridge approaches, where poor backfill or voids above pier caps undermine ride quality.

  • Washout voids from burst mains or water ingress, leaving hidden collapse risks beneath carriageways.

Conventional repairs rely on excavation, replacement, and long curing times—often requiring weeks of closures and diversions. The socio-economic cost is huge: on the M11 Girton Interchange, a 9-week full closure would have created £14.8m in indirect costs.

Geobear provides a faster, lower-risk alternative. Our engineered geopolymer is injected through 12–40mm holes to fill voids, compact weak soils, and re-level slabs with millimetre precision. Roads reopen within one hour of treatment, avoiding prolonged disruption.

a10-drilling

 

What Geobear Can Help With

Slab re-levelling
Stabilizing and lifting sunken concrete bays and bridge approaches, restoring smooth and safe ride quality.

Embankment strengthening
Improving ground conditions behind abutments, slopes, and approaches affected by poor compaction or erosion.

Subgrade improvement
Raising the bearing capacity of soils beneath flexible pavements; proven to extend pavement design life by up to 9 years.

Void filling
Filling underground voids caused by washouts, tunnelling, culverts, or animal burrows with expansive, permanent resins.

Jiggers Bank team on site

 

Case studies

M11 void filling

M11 void filling

Using Geobear helped avoid a £1.5m reconstruction and £14.8m in indirect costs, completing the works in 13 night shifts rather than 9 weeks.

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Night shot of drilling rig drilling into motorway surface with injection tube grid in foreground.

Slab stabilization dual carriageway

Geobear completed emergency ground strengthening across a 3.5 km section of dual carriageway

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infra a323 injection tubes

A323 Clay treatment

Clay shrinkage treatment deep beneath pavement to minimize future movement

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Geobear solution vs traditional methods

Feature

Geobear Solution

Traditional Reconstruction

Disruption

Minimal. Works in overnight possessions; immediate reopening.

High disruption. Requires full closures and diversions.

Speed

Completed in hours; roads open in 1 hour.

Weeks–months with excavation and curing.

Carbon Impact

Up to 90% lower CO₂ footprint.

High emissions from excavation, haulage, and concrete.

Precision

Laser monitoring controls uplift to ±250 microns.

Less precise; prone to over/under-lifting.

Cost

Typically 40–60% less, plus major socio-economic savings.

Expensive and disruptive.

Durability

Resin life >120 years; proven lifecycle extension.

Concrete slabs often replaced every 4–10 years.

Key Benefits of Working with Geobear

Speed & minimal disruption

Geobear design and deliver projects completed within short possessions. The road is handed back and can be used almost immediately.

Life extension

Pavements strengthened to withstand decades of traffic.

Cost savings

50–60% of reconstruction costs, plus avoidance of indirect economic losses.

Sustainable

Up to 75% lower CO₂ impact; inert, hydro-insensitive resins safe even in aquifers.

Trusted partner

Chosen by National Highways, Connect Plus, and leading contractors.

Frequently asked questions

Our material is fast curing, meaning a road can be used after 15 minutes of treatment.

Yes – resin can be pumped up to 100m from the rig, making it ideal for slip roads, culverts, and bridge approaches.

Yes – independent testing confirms no hazardous leachates; safe even in drinking water aquifers.

Our geopolymer resins have a design life exceeding 120 years.

Talk to Geobear

Discuss your site with one of a member of our infrastructure team.

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