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Gabion Wall Repair & Stabilization for Failing Retaining Systems

Looking for a cost-effective solution to repair your deteriorated gabion wall? Our experts specialize in gabion wall repair and stabilization. Gabion retaining walls are commonly built with improper base-to-height ratios, while steel pile walls are often designed without fully understanding the brutal forces that active landslides can place on those structures. Naturally, historic rock walls across the continent are well past their service life, increasing the risk of partial or total wall failure.

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Gabion Walls

Gabion walls consist of galvanized wire mesh baskets, or gabion baskets, containing fill material such as rocks and natural stone. These free-draining walls help prevent landslides caused by soil erosion, but they can deteriorate and fail over time. When this happens, it’s sometimes because the wall doesn’t have the correct base-to-height ratio. Other times, the wall has surpassed its intended length of service and worn down from natural forces. The infiltration of fine silts and clay and the deterioration of the gabion wall rock can also cause its partial or total failure. Repairing gabion retaining walls can save on costs, time, and minimize the impact on the surrounding environment.

Benefits of Gabion Wall Replacement vs. Repair

No matter the cause of a retaining wall failure, it’s essential to understand the benefits of repairing it versus replacing it. Often, repairing gabion retaining walls is a better solution than demolition and complete replacement for several reasons. The benefits of restoring an existing gabion retaining wall instead of replacing it with a new wall include:

  • Cost savings: repairs cost 70% less than a replacement
  • Time savings: a repair takes weeks, and a replacement takes months
  • Less impact on surroundings: this includes the natural environment, residents, roads, and infrastructure
  • Extended wall lifespan: repairs and stabilization can provide an extended wall lifespan of 75 years
  • Restoration of original appearance: our retaining wall design engineers have experience building gabions to match the original wall surface to look the way it did before it deteriorated

Repairing Gabion Walls with Soil Nails

Access Limited teams use soil nailing to repair and stabilize gabion walls when possible. Soil nailing involves inserting thin reinforcing bars, or nails, slightly downward into slopes at various depths determined by engineers.

We use a compressed air cannon called the Soil Nail Launcher™  to shoot 20-foot steel or fiberglass nails into the soil at 250 miles per hour. This innovative technique can be much more economical than using conventional soil nailing procedures or creating concrete gravity walls.

This method of repair works best when the facing of the retaining wall is still somewhat intact. If it isn’t intact due to erosion or crumbling rock, we’ll use soil nailing alongside other methods of stabilization, and we may carefully restack the salvaged stone.

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If you are interested in a no obligation site visit to determine if our services fit your geohazard mitigation needs, call us at 855.905.2460 or fill out our contact form.

855.905.2460

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