Bottom ash from AEP’s Amos Power Plant, located near Charleston, West Virginia, is being used as a backfill material for the construction of the I-64 / U. S. Route # 35 Interchange near Hurricane, West Virginia. It is estimated that approximately 170,000 cubic yards will be used for the entire project.

The reason bottom ash was chosen as the backfill material for the project was due to it’s superior physical and chemical characterics as compared to natural materials. The project called for a backfill material with a neutral pH, appropriate electro-negativity and light weight due to the engineering characteristics of the soils in the area. The plant’s bottom ash met all the engineering requirements and was the material of choice due to it’s low cost.