ABSTRACT – A two tier 50 ft tall geosynthetic reinforced MSE wall was built in early 2011 to support athletic fields at the New Carver High School in Columbus, GA. Contract documents required the general contractor, through their qualified sub-contractors to provide both the design and construction of this SRW block faced wall, roughly 50’ tall over most of its 750-foot length. In September 2011 the top tier experienced some block cracking in radii, so the project team sought out a third-party review, before the project was completed. This paper will discuss the results of that review, along with the negotiations between the Owner, General Contractor, and SubContractors that went into deciding to improve the global stability of the tiered wall system.
The paper presents the process used to select a buttress wall to improve global stability for a portion of the wall length after consideration of several options. The paper will also discuss several challenges encountered during construction relative to temporary global stability, drainage outlets, and materials handling at a limited access site that were addressed with some innovative solutions.
