COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[hairy_scotsman]

Actually, it was the first of October that they said they were abandoning efforts to compact the soil and were instead going to dig it out and replace it. So not only did they have the added time of replacement, but it seems that they wasted a great deal of time trying to make the existing soil work.

Maybe so. I don't recall that. Do you have a link to a story regarding it? Not saying it isn't so. Just want to read more about it.

At any rate, I don't think John's trying to make the point so much that the track is far behind. Unless there's a whole lot of rain late in the schedule, the track should be fine. I think he's referring more to structures.

It was in this article here...

http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 95935.html

I don't know, but it could be the soil conditions affected the building foundations as well through additional soil work, footing redesign, etc. Or it could be that they had to get the soil prep done for the track before they could move the heavy equipment in for the concrete work.

Thanks. I just found and re-read that article also. I remember it now.

At that time we had been hearing about and talking about the soil for months (Maher isn't always the best source for things like this). I took photos back on June 1 showing the start of cuts being made on the back straight and around T10-11. I took more later in the month that show deep cuts on that side of the circuit, which was well behind the dirt work for the front side. The early focus was on the front side due to the complexity and importance of the structures in that area.

As soon as the track location was announced I immediately thought "uh oh", having spent 15 years driving fire trucks on that side of town. The roads around the site show visibly what a major challenge that soil is.

[WhiteBlue]

The earth movements can't be such a big deal if they just cost $1m more. It is not unusual that you have to use different filling material for the foundations if the local material does not qualify. That happens every day. In fact you must be real happy to use exactly what you have. They did a lot of exploratory drilling and knew that they had much clay. Clay isn't really what you want for a track or highway foundation. Ideally you want a certain composition of sand, gravel and crushed stone in a defined grain size distribution preferably without clay. Clay can be thixotropic which is the worst that can happen to a foundation. The whole structure can slide away under the pressure of it's weight.

[Richard]

WB - You've described what we'd call "sub base" in the UK. Typically 750mm layer of graded crushed stone below the tarmac, but above the "capping". The capping is usually site sourced but care is taken to ensure it is of the right moisture content for compaction, clay is OK depending on what type of clay!

The site has been said to have significant clay heave as we can see on the old wobbly road, so they might need to import the capping.

[hairy_scotsman]

JB looking forward to racing at COTA.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/ ... Wc.twitter

BTW, what's "pukka"?

[WhiteBlue]

WB - You've described what we'd call "sub base" in the UK. Typically 750mm layer of graded crushed stone below the tarmac, but above the "capping". The capping is usually site sourced but care is taken to ensure it is of the right moisture content for compaction, clay is OK depending on what type of clay!

The site has been said to have significant clay heave as we can see on the old wobbly road, so they might need to import the capping.

Well, I was thinking of both capping and sub base. You usually do do some compacting and measure if the capping is stable by specific tests. If you already know that there is a lot of clay you probably budget a certain amount of exchange of clay for sand and other materials. As you say not all clays are problematic but the stuff at wandering creek looked dodgy right from the begin.

[Pup]

JB looking forward to racing at COTA.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/ ... Wc.twitter

BTW, what's "pukka"?

It's brit slang for 'proper' or something like that. My wife used to watch Jamie Oliver and he says it all the time.

[xpensive]

...
BTW, what's "pukka"?

It's brit slang for 'proper' or something like that. My wife used to watch Jamie Oliver and he says it all the time.

More like "perfect" I think, but that's all irrelevant now, by the last pages on this here thread it has become obvious these guys have little clue as to what they are up to, if this race happens in November I will eat Nomex in heavy doses.

[Pup]

We'll need a video of that.

[bhall]

[...]but that's all irrelevant now, by the last pages on this here thread it has become obvious these guys have little clue as to what they are up to, if this race happens in November I will eat Nomex in heavy doses.

Xactly which parts of the second-hand reporting and amateur prognostications around here fill you with so much Nomex, I mean, doubt?

[xpensive]

@ bhallag2k;

WB - You've described what we'd call "sub base" in the UK. Typically 750mm layer of graded crushed stone below the tarmac, but above the "capping". The capping is usually site sourced but care is taken to ensure it is of the right moisture content for compaction, clay is OK depending on what type of clay!

The site has been said to have significant clay heave as we can see on the old wobbly road, so they might need to import the capping.

The above statement from one of this great forum's own xperts on ground-preparation, constitutes a death-blow to the entire project, in particular if they are looking at widening and flattening that horse-trail to the track pictured earlier?

Bring on the Nomex.

[bhall]

Ah, I guess that would be a problem. I guess I'll just cross my fingers, say a few Hail Marys and pile hope upon hope that suitable soil, sand and stones can be found somewhere, anywhere, within the other 270,000 square miles of Texas.

[Richard]

I wouldn't worry about constructing that access road, that's small beer.

Anyway, capping is only an major issue for embankments. Much of the track seems to be in cutting, so they just need to have thin layer of capping to tidy up the excavated surface.

Also, they could use lime stabilisation and other tricks to deal with the clay.

[FW17]

[WhiteBlue]

I look forward to the video of that Nomex diet. The pictures posted here do not look any different to the stuff that we have seen from other mainly dry building sites like Turkey, India and Bahrain. I guess that even Korea must have been a greater challenge in terms of the soil conditions as it was located in fields adjacent to an ocean inlet. Unless they run out of money they will make it. It will just cost a lot more due to the over time they are paying now.

In the meantime some interesting facts and figures have emerged:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... 851673.php

McCombs was approached by Austin businessman Bobby Epstein to be an investor in the project. McCombs declined to reveal his investment amount, other than to say, “I've invested a little more than I intended to.

“I tried to be candid with my wife and daughters,” McCombs added, “that this would be loaded with issues, warts as I call them, and that it may not be profitable ... I told them I don't believe anyone else can do it or will do it. I told them I would like to do this one-of-a-kind thing.”

The high-speed Formula One race annually will produce only about 30 percent of revenues each year, said Rad Weaver, an executive with McCombs Enterprises. Music concerts will account for 10-12 percent of revenues at the 350-acre track site, part of a larger 1,100-acre development location two miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

1. McCombs was broughht into this by Epstein
2. He does not think the venture will be profitable but is worthwhile doing
3. Race site 350 acre out of 1,100 acre total. So there is plenty of money to be made by selling or renting land to industrial purposes
4. F1 race ticket revenues only 30% of planned revenues. At average $150 for 120,000 tickets that would be $60m planned annual revenues. Unclear weather that includes $25m from METF. I reckon $60m could cover the F1 fee and the other cost for some years without making profit from the CotA. Profit would probably come from land sales and leases.

http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetai ... a-1-track/

This is a very good summary of the delays that have occurred since last summer.

http://static.culturemap.com/site_media ... _v1.14.pdf

It gives you all mile stones in MS Project charts. Interesting!!

Again it looks like the thing is doable and the delay will have to be compensated by additional over time cost.

[hairy_scotsman]

Pit building interior photo just posted on Circuit of The Americas' FB page...