Part of the expansion project approved in 2013 for BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, located between Baltimore, Maryland and the District of Columbia was the addition of a substantial amount for roadway redirecting traffic around the facility. To separate lanes, poured in place Jersey walls were constructed. The construction was complex because the roadway on one side of the new jersey wall was constantly changing in elevation, independent of the roadway on the other side. To form up the constantly curving wall with independent elevation changes on both sides, the contractor chose EPS form liners from Universal Foam Products. The face of the form liners were lined with a thin FRP panel (fiberglass reinforced panel) in order to achieve multiple uses of the form. The project was a success with some of the panel being used up to six different times.
This project is a good example of the versatility of EPS (expanded polystyrene) forms and form liners used in the construction and precast concrete industries. EPS is lightweight with substantial compression strength and can be wire cut or CNC routed to any shape required. EPS forms are less expensive than steel or wood forms making them ideal for applications like this one.
