EVALUATION OF STANDARD RIGHT-OF-WAY FENCE POST ANCHORS VERSUS DRIVE ANCHORS

In hard-to-access areas such as wetlands, steep roadway cuts and wooded terrain commonly associated with locations that need right-of-way fencing, alternative simple system footings are sometimes used. Recent roadside field installations have demonstrated a potential for satisfactory performance of the simple systems. This research compares the viability of these simple systems to concrete foundations. Field testing was conducted to evaluate the deflection performance of the posts installed in concrete versus drive anchors. A static load was applied to each post system at two feet above grade. Also, a finite element method analysis was conducted to simulate actual site testing conditions. Based on this research, the drive anchors and the concrete system both performed within tolerable limits established in this study. It was also determined that in areas where only manual means of installation could be used, there was a significant cost savings in favor of the drive anchors. Overall results indicate that the drive anchor and concrete systems can be used interchangeably.