In a project commissioned by the Gold Coast City Council and supervised by leading Australian manufacturer and installer of soil stabilization and retaining systems, Concrib, several retaining walls were built at different locations around a road upgrade site recently.
According to Concrib representatives, the project, which used Stone Strong Systems retaining walls, presented installers with a number of challenges. First, the site was small, offering crews limited access and space for blocks and other building materials. Second, the site contained several service lines (e.g. power/sewer/storm water). Lastly, upon initial excavation for detailed foundation earthworks, some sections of the subgrade were found to have insufficient bearing capacity for the walls’ design parameters.
Responding to these challenges, Concrib devised a number of deliberate and customized steps aimed at ensuring the project’s ultimate success. First, the team initiated a just-in-time delivery schedule for blocks and supplies. Under the system, a semi-trailer would shuttle between the construction site and Concrib’s casting yard, delivering only the essential amount of supplies required for each section under construction. Once completed, back-filling operations could proceed without interruption.
Second, the team took service trenches into account by incorporating location-specific treatments, such as deeper piers for some sections of the sleeper walls as well as utilizing piers and slabs. Lastly, the team removed the site’s unsuitable subgrade material, replacing it with imported select fill that was compacted and certified to 98% standard M.D.D.
