Field Performance of an Independent Full-Height Facing Reinforced Soil Wall

Abstract

An innovative retaining wall system was adopted for the construction of a ramp connecting Interstate-25 and Interstate-70 in Colorado. The retaining wall system, known as the independent full-height facing (IFF) reinforced soil wall, has a full-height concrete facing panel in front of a soil mass that is reinforced with layers of tensile inclusion. The use of this retaining wall system allowed the highway to remain open to traffic during the construction operation and alleviate the need to deal with the excavation and disposal of the subsoil that had been contaminated in the past. Two sections of the retaining wall, locally known as the Fox wall, were instrumented to monitor the performance during and after construction. A study was undertaken to synthesize the measured data and to evaluate the performance and design assumptions of the retaining wall. This paper describes the IFF reinforced soil wall system and the Fox wall project, presents the measured data, and discusses the wall performance. Design implications concerning the initial setback of facing panels, reinforcement strength requirement, and lateral forces on facing panels are also addressed.