Abstract:
When the building shook and the power went out at a big-box store early one morning, an inspection of conditions around the building revealed the failure of an approximately 200-foot long section of up to 35-foot high, cantilevered, CIP retaining wall. Luckily no one was injured, perhaps due to the fact the wall was behind the building. Displacement of the soil behind the wall damaged the utilities that coincidently entered the building at the failed wall section. With the store subsequently shutdown, an emergency stabilization program was initiated to prevent raveling of the approximately 210 feet of scarp face, which might jeopardize the building. While stabilizing the scarp, the owner reestablished the utilities, with the aim of reopening the store as soon as possible. As completion of the emergency work neared, attention focused on returning the site to the pre-failure grades with the aid of an MSE wall. Monitoring of the CIP wall immediately adjacent to the failed section indicated movement that concerned the owner’s team, requiring stabilizing 280 feet of CIP wall.