Tensar Receives NCDOT Approval for ARES, Mesa Retaining Walls

Words: Dan Kamys Tensar Receives NCDOT Approval for ARES, Mesa Retaining Walls

??

Tensar International, a geosynthetic soil reinforcement and stabilization company, has received full approval with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for its ARES and Mesa Retaining Wall Systems. As of Jan. 31, 2011, the NCDOT required that companies submit and receive approval to build mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls based on the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) design methodology. The Mesa Systems previously had full approval with the NCDOT. Both the ARES and Mesa Systems are now updated to meet the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications latest design requirements.

Tensar has also received approvals in other states for their products. Recent approvals include:

  • ?? California’s CalTrans approved Mesa Systems under new LRFD design methodology
  • ?? The Ohio DOT approved Tensar’s UX geogrid design strength for ARES walls
  • ?? The New Jersey DOT uses ARES Systems for true bridge abutment
  • ?? The Maryland State Highway Administration approved ARES Systems precast panel wall MSE syste.

The inert properties of Tensar Geogrids permit the use of a wide range of backfills, including recycled materials and those not suitable to be used with steel-reinforced wall systems, allowing contractors to save time and labor costs when installing the ARES Systems. For more information, visit http://www.tensarcorp.com.

GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More