Speedy Rebuilding of Earthquake-damaged Highway Embankment with Pressed-in Pipe Pile Wall-Paper

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A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan’s Noto Peninsula in January 2024, causing landslides and collapsing part of an expressway embankment beside a viaduct. The damage threatened the viaduct abutment and left only one traffic lane open. Because the adjacent slope was unstable, construction access was narrow, and space for staging was limited, engineers selected a pressed-in pipe pile wall to rebuild the embankment while minimizing vibration and disruption.<br /><br />The project used rotary press-in equipment to install 34 steel pipe piles, each 800 mm in diameter and 23.5 m long. The piles were rotated and hydraulically pressed through sandy silt and weathered breccia into underlying rock. A crawler crane supported installation of the first 14 piles; thereafter, a compact clamp crane operating on the installed piles supplied the remaining piles. This approach avoided the need for an access road or large temporary work platform. The wall was completed in nine working days, using double shifts. Urethane foam was placed behind it as lightweight backfill to reduce earth pressure.<br /><br />The completed retaining wall enabled reconstruction of the roadway and the reopening of both expressway lanes. The project demonstrates that rotary press-in pile walls can provide a rapid, low-vibration solution for repairing damaged highway embankments, particularly where slopes are sensitive, construction access is difficult, and traffic must be maintained.

Keywords

Japan

Noto Peninsula

earthquake

expressway embankment

landslide

pressed-in pipe pile wall

rotary press-in equipment

steel pipe piles

retaining wall

low-vibration construction