Geo-construction practices and tools are being developed at a rapid pace to address the geotechnical construction challenges. Innovations in drilling technology from both Europe and the United States have been instrumental in providing the tools and techniques necessary to conquer these new challenges.
The city of Duvall, Wash., located on the glacially formed side slopes above the Snoqualmie River basin, was faced with an infrastructure dilemma due to rapid expansion and topographic constraints. Duvall is located approximately 40 kilometers east of Seattle. As the Seattle metropolitan area has expanded and outlying areas like Bellevue and Redmond (home of Microsoft) have developed and expanded, these more distant areas like Duvall, surrounding Seattle, have become increasingly popular as more affordable and quieter areas of residential refuge in the country. Planning and road construction was more utilitarian in the early days when the city did not foresee the requirements for expansion.