A town in the Northeastern United States was experiencing shallow sloughing of the roadway, which continued to slide and lose shoulder width. This slope failure of a road that is critical to the community since it offers the only access to many houses located along the shores of the adjoining lake. Lu Engineers were hired to assist the Town by evaluating several options for slope failure solutions. An engineered soil repair was required for the approximately 75 feet long and about 20 feet tall slope. A conventional retaining wall was deemed cost-prohibitive for the Town, and its unsightly appearance was unacceptable to the adjacent property owner.
GeoStabilization International®, geohazard mitigation experts performing residential slope stabilization, was contacted to determine if a soil nail wall could be constructed to permanently stabilize the weathered shale on the embankment below the road and provide bluff stabilization above the private beach. Also, the design had to reclaim the extra width of the shoulder lost in previous slips. GeoStabilization worked closely with the Town and the property owner to design an economical solution that provided a soil anchor and reinforced shotcrete stabilization system. This solution afforded the structural integrity to mitigate landslides, and it was coupled with a stained and sculpted final surface treatment that simulated natural bedrock. A rustic wooden guardrail was added to enhance the overall appearance of the finished project and provide safety to the traveling public.
Working from only one lane of the roadway above, the crews began drilling soil nails horizontally into the slope. A steel-reinforcing element was then secured to the soil anchors before shotcrete was applied to the face. An initial layer of shotcrete was applied against a plywood form in the original bluff’s face location to regain the original shoulder width for the guardrail’s installation. Then, a finishing layer was applied, before it was stained and sculpted to match the surrounding geology. GeoStabilization’s crews successfully installed all soil nails using our fleet of excavator-mounted drills and applied the shotcrete while working off man lifts and safety ropes.
Both the Town and the homeowner participated in the cost of the repair. The Town paid for the structural repair, while the property owner funded the project’s staining and sculpting. Both parties were well pleased with GeoStabilization’s innovative solutions, attention to detail, expedited construction schedule, and economical solution that provided permanent protection for the roadway and an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to the owner’s dock and beach area.
Contact GeoStabilization International® at 855-579-0536 to learn how to utilize our mitigating landslides services for your geotechnical application. For over twenty years, our teams have been providing residential slope stabilization, slope monitoring, slope failure, and landslide prevention services.
If you are interested in a no-obligation site visit to determine if our services fit your geohazard mitigation needs, call us at 855-579-0536 or fill out our contact form.
