Retaining Wall Design

Springville-Boston Road – Slope Failure

The Erie County Department of Public Works experienced a failure of Springville-Boston Road when Eighteen Mile Creek eroded its bank along the shoulder of the highway, causing the highway to collapse. This area of the highway has failed on several previous occasions because of the creek orientation and flow velocity. McMahon & Mann and Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. were retained to design stabilization methods for the creek and to design the reconstruction of the highway.

Location

Concord, New York

Client

Erie County Department of Public Works through Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

Date

2009

ECDPW experienced a failure of Springville-Boston Road when Eighteen Mile Creek eroded its bank along the shoulder of the highway, causing the highway to collapse. This area of the highway has failed on several previous occasions because of the creek orientation and flow velocity. ECDPW engaged McMahon & Mann and Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. to design stabilization methods for the creek and to design the reconstruction of the highway.

McMahon & Mann completed test borings along the failed highway and found interbedded deposits of clay, sand, and gravel.

We designed a soldier pile wall along the highway shoulder to provide lateral support for the highway. The wall consists of steel wide-flange piles with cast-in-place concrete lagging between the piles. The design included a drainage system behind the wall and beneath the highway to manage surface water and groundwater.

Armor stone and rip rap were placed in the creek to slow the water velocity and were placed along the bank to resist erosion.