Bring Your A-GaME! The Benefits of Advocating for Advanced Geotechnical Exploration Methods-Paper

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts program promotes Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration (A-GaME) to improve subsurface characterization on transportation projects. Many projects experience cost or schedule impacts because investigations rely on prescriptive minimum requirements—often limited numbers of borings and widely spaced samples—which may miss important ground conditions. Better-informed investigations can reduce uncertainty, avoid construction problems and claims, and support safer, more efficient designs.<br /><br />A-GaME encourages combining conventional drilling and testing with proven, underused technologies: cone penetration testing (CPT), seismic and electrical geophysics, measurement while drilling (MWD), and optical or acoustic televiewers. These methods can provide more continuous measurements, broader subsurface coverage, or detailed information about soil, groundwater, rock, and geological features. Their strategic use can help tailor investigations to project risks rather than simply meet minimum requirements.<br /><br />Case studies illustrate the benefits. For a Massachusetts bridge replacement, CPT soundings supplemented three borings, saved about $25,000—roughly 25 percent of the exploration subcontract cost—and provided data useful for pile design. In Minnesota, seismic surveys helped map bedrock and estimate excavation quantities, while electrical resistivity identified karst features, including sinkholes.<br /><br />The program’s aim is to make optimized, risk-based site characterization routine. More than 45 highway organizations expressed interest in implementation, with agencies sharing demonstrations and experience. The authors argue that targeted upfront investment in geotechnical exploration can reduce the likelihood of costly changes and delays while improving project outcomes.

Keywords

Federal Highway Administration

Every Day Counts

Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration

A-GaME

subsurface characterization

transportation projects

cone penetration testing

seismic geophysics

electrical resistivity

risk-based site investigation