When the Wall Comes Tumbling Down-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

The presentation describes the failure and remediation of a retaining wall at a store. The site, developed beginning in 2007, included a cast-in-place concrete wall up to 35 feet high. Monitoring from 2010 showed no significant movement, but a section collapsed in 2016, disrupting underground power, gas, and water lines and forcing the store to close.<br /><br />Emergency work began within days. Crews installed soil nails and reinforced shotcrete to stabilize the exposed slope, allowing the store to resume business in about three weeks, although utility reconstruction delayed reopening. Tieback anchors and concrete columns stabilized the free ends of the wall, and further anchors were installed through an adjacent moving section of the existing wall.<br /><br />The failed section was replaced with a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall. Damaged utilities and pavement were rebuilt, and the storm sewer was replaced and lined. As work progressed, engineers identified additional wall sections requiring stabilization; these were supported with long, high-capacity tieback anchors and steel columns.<br /><br />The identified root cause was a buildup of hydrostatic pressure behind the concrete wall. Contributing water sources included pressurized fire, domestic, and irrigation lines, as well as the storm drain. Weep holes in the wall had been blocked with polyurethane foam. The project also highlighted the importance of construction detailing, monitoring, exclusion zones, and clear safety action protocols during emergency stabilization.

Keywords

retaining wall failure

emergency stabilization

hydrostatic pressure

soil nails

shotcrete

tieback anchors

mechanically stabilized earth

utility reconstruction

storm sewer replacement

construction safety