UTA Inquiry – Fall 2015 :
In March 2011, Dr. Hossain and his team installed commercially available recycled plastic pins into the sinking slope on two 50-foot test sections of U.S. 287 in Midlothian. They used a method previously developed by the University of Missouri but under different soil conditions.During the subsequent monitoring period, the three reinforced sections moved only 1 to 2 inches, while the first control section settled about 15 inches and the second almost 9 inches. Additionally, about two years after the first pins were installed, the slope on the other side of the highway failed in two spots.