Retaining Wall Failure in San Antonio, Texas
This past Sunday (January 24, 2010) a large retaining wall failed in a San Antonio, Texas subdivision. Initially 80 homes were evacuated when crevices up to 15 feet deep appeared after the 1000-foot long retaining wall failed.
There are conflicting reports about whether or not the retaining wall was engineered. It was determined that repairs to the wall had been done in the past, but no details were offered.
At RetainingWallExpert.com, we offer information in an attempt to prevent retaining wall failures like this from occurring. We have been asked our informal opinion regarding this wall failure but will refrain from doing so because we do not have sufficient information about the soils, the wall design, the utilities behind the wall, or the engineering of the structures.
In light of this failure, I'd like to remind developers, home builders, wall builders and home owners that SOIL is a construction material. Just like wood, steel and concrete, soil has strength and compressibility characteristics that need to be studied and tested and understood prior to (and during) construction. Soil is a complex mixture of air, water, and soil particles. Soil behaves very differently under different loading conditions and water contents. Soil even changes volume when water content changes. A registered Professional (Geotechnical) Engineer should be an important element of your professional design team.
Some references include: San-Antonio Express News and www.kens5.com.
