IMPROVING HAUL ROAD PERFORMANCE IN MINING THROUGH MULTIDIRECTIONAL RIGID GEOGRIDS *W. Caressato Junior1 1Techinical Department, TDM Group, Brazil, (*Presenting author: wcaressato@tdmbrasil.com.br) ABSTRACT Haul road performance is essential to sustaining continuous ore production in large open-pit mining operations. Under heavy haul truck traffic and seasonal rainfall conditions, conventional unpaved road structures frequently experience rapid deterioration, leading to rutting, reduced operating speeds, increased maintenance demand, and unproductive downtime that directly affects mineral delivery. This paper presents the field implementation of multidirectional rigid geogrids to improve the performance of critical haul road segments at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Instead of increasing granular thickness to compensate for weak subgrade conditions, the solution focused on mechanically stabilizing locally available materials through confinement and improved load distribution. The reinforced structure reduced total pavement thickness from approximately 2.0 m to 1.2 m while maintaining trafficability over weak foundations. Operational monitoring demonstrated a reduction of approximately 40% in rut formation and improved resilience during rainfall periods. Unproductive hours associated with road conditions decreased from 2,214 to 1,325 hours over the evaluated period. Vehicle-based monitoring further indicated a reduction in excessive structural load events, suggesting improved running surface uniformity and potential benefits to fleet performance. A comparative carbon footprint analysis of a representative 1,000 m haul road segment showed that the mechanically stabilized configuration reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 30% relative to the conventional thickness-based design, primarily due to lower aggregate demand and reduced hauling requirements. The results demonstrate that mechanical stabilization using multidirectional rigid geogrids offers a practical and scalable approach to improving haul road reliability while reducing material intensity and environmental impact, contributing to more efficient and responsible mineral production. KEYWORDS Haul Road Performance, Mining Infrastructure Optimization, Multidirectional Rigid Geogrids, Operational Efficiency, Carbon Footprint Reduction 1. INTRODUCCION Haul road performance is essential to ensuring continuous ore delivery in open-pit mining operations. When haul roads underperform, the consequence is not merely a maintenance issue, it directly limits the ability of mine to deliver minerals, affecting productivity and operational safety.
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