Tennessee's steep slope drilling challenges concentrate in the Great Smoky Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, where I-40 and US-441 cross sandstone and metamorphic faces that TDOT manages across some of the most visited national park terrain in the country — combining extreme grade with high public visibility.
GSI's SPIDER excavator experience shapes how these situations get addressed across the state.
Cumberland Plateau sandstone cuts and Smoky Mountain metamorphic faces both fall within reach of GSI's SPIDER excavator, which walks steep terrain on six legs rather than requiring the wide staging area a wheeled rig needs. GSI's Soil Nail Launcher™ capability supports this step.
Sections of Tennessee's steepest faces offer no bench to stand equipment on at all — there, GSI bolts the drill platform directly to the rock and works from that anchored position. This is one application of GSI's broader soil nailing expertise.
On the Smokies' most extreme terrain, where park visitation adds scrutiny to every closure, rope-access drilling lets crews work by hand with a footprint too small to disrupt the tourist corridor below. GSI's engineers experience informs this approach.
This approach is informed by GSI's broader transportation infrastructure work across Tennessee.
Engineered for Tennessee's conditions. GSI's Tennessee steep slope fleet reaches Smoky Mountain and Cumberland Plateau terrain that combines extreme access difficulty with the visibility of the nation's most-visited national park corridor. It's backed by GSI's broader general contractors and our case studies capability.
Design/build delivery. One team carries the project from design to install — cutting out the delays that separate design from installation.
TDOT specification compliance. Documentation and field practices satisfy state DOT specifications from the earliest project submittal.
GSI's engineers are ready to assess steep slope drilling conditions at your Tennessee site.