Posted: 11:24 am Tue, February 28, 2012
By American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota 
Tags: Encompass Inc., Howard Noziska, Jerry Theis, Kent Jones, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Theis Construction

At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, overlooking Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, rebar and stainless steel ties designed by Encompass Inc. were installed in a difficult retaining wall project. (Submitted photos)

Location: 1917 Logan Ave. S., Minneapolis

Firm: Encompass Inc., Eden Prairie

Completion date: November 2011

Project team: Howard Noziska, Kent Jones, Encompass Inc.; Jerry Theis, Theis Construction

Editor’s note: The Feats of Engineering feature, which runs occasionally in Finance & Commerce, features projects completed by members of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota. The content comes from ACEC and the firms.

Aging, structurally unsound retaining walls are a relatively common problem in Minneapolis. The leaning wall behind St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, holding back the prominent hill overlooking Lake of the Isles on which the landmark church was built, posed extraordinary problems — “a challenge of almost biblical proportions,” said Howard Noziska, president of Encompass Inc., the Eden Prairie-based engineering and forensic analysis firm retained to find a solution.

Noziska describes the steepness of St. Paul’s site as “scary.” But the steepness was only part of the challenge in fixing the collapsing wall and stabilizing the hill. Compounding the problem was an extremely restricted location that not only offered physical barriers — stairs blocking access to the wall — but religious and cultural barriers as well, in the form of the buried cremains of deceased members of the congregation and the integrity of a historic structure that had to be assured.

Conditions were exacerbated by the fact that small trees planted many years ago were now fully grown, with their roots a major part of the problem, and several seasons of record snowfalls and heavy rain had loaded the soil with moisture. Taken together, all of these conditions were increasing both the vertical and lateral loads on the retaining wall itself — a structure a foot thick, 6 feet high and nearly 60 feet long.

“The hill was doing what comes naturally,” said Noziska, “sliding, moving downhill, and putting great pressure on the old retaining wall and related sidewalks and stairways. Uncorrected, it presented a potential danger to churchgoers as well as a threat to the church structure itself.”

Eden Prairie-based Encompass Inc. designed and supervised the installation by Theis Construction of a series of “helical piers” — large screw-like rods, twisted into the soil to provide the counterbalancing forces the retaining wall needed to restrain and stabilize the soil behind the wall.

Any solution had to be affordable for a congregation with limited resources, yet one that would endure for decades. Encompass’ answer was a creative combination of advanced engineering thinking and old-fashioned common sense.

The firm designed and supervised the installation by Theis Construction of a series of “helical piers” — large screw-like rods, twisted into the soil to provide the counterbalancing forces the retaining wall needed to restrain and stabilize the soil behind the wall. This created counterforces to the hillside’s natural inclination to keep sliding and pressuring the wall itself.

A new foot-thick reinforced concrete wall with new buttresses was strengthened by the installation of extensive rebar reinforcing rods.

Because of the accessibility problem, all of the concrete required for construction had to be “bucketed” up the hillside. To reach the difficult work area, temporary bridges were built across the steep stairways, sufficient to provide access to the work area by Bobcat without blocking entry to the church for services.

The result? “A strong new retaining wall that will serve the congregation and protect St. Paul’s historic structure for decades into the future,” Noziska said.

To submit projects for consideration in Feats of Engineering, please email the following information to David Oxley, ACEC/MN executive director, at doxley@acecmn.org: firm name, project name, location and description; projected or actual completion date; firm project team and overall project team; additional details of interest to the architecture, engineering and design community; phone number and email address for a project. High-resolution renderings or photographs (minimum of 1MB) also should be submitted. For more information, call 952-593-5533.

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Link:
Feats of Engineering – Retaining wall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

The city of Keyser has warned First United Bank, owner of the Grand Central Business Center, that an old retaining wall at the southeast corner of the Business Center's property is failing and in imminent danger of collapsing, posing a threat to children who often play in the area.
Councilman Bill Roy first drew attention to the problem about six months ago. Since then, he reported at the Feb. 22 City Council meeting, cracks in the stone-block wall have widened and the wall has further bowed outward. He said the wall needs to be repaired before someone gets hurt.
“They're going to fool around and get a kid killed,” he said.
Following up on Roy's comments, Mayor Randy Amtower said he had run into the CEO of First United and mentioned the failing wall to him in person. First United is the lien holder to Grand Central Business Center, which was the old Keyser High School. “They've been informed all the way to the top,” Amtower said.
The mayor directed staff to prepare a letter to the bank, and said that if action is not taken soon, the city
will take the matter to another level, implying legal action against the bank.

Read more:
City puts Grand Central on notice for deteriorating wall

Crew members push driver Danica Patrick's backup car to inspection before practice for Sunday's NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Terry Renna, Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As her car hurtled out of control toward the inside retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick did a split-second survey of her situation.

With no chance of avoiding a head-on collision at nearly 190 mph, Patrick prepared for the impact. She took her hands off her steering wheel and pulled them close to her body. In her mind, she had clenched her arms tight near her shoulder harnesses.

In reality, the in-car camera showed her hands were much higher, almost at her face. And just like that the talk shifted from her otherwise clean run in Thursday's qualifying race to a discussion about the pretty girl who covered her eyes right before a big scary accident.

It didn't matter that it wasn't true.

"In IndyCars, you learn to take your hands off the wheel," Patrick explained Friday. "I was trained when there is no saving it and no hope, you let go. That's what I did.

"No, I wasn't covering my eyes. But, yes, I did close them as I got to the wall. I didn't want my eyes to pop out of my head."

Everything Patrick does this season, her first full year in NASCAR, will be scrutinized. She's one of the most popular athletes on the planet, but her spotty racing resume makes her an easy target for hard-core racing fans who consider her an overhyped driver unworthy of the attention she receives.

She's found often on ESPN, which broadcasts the bulk of Patrick's races. She has dabbled the last two years in the Nationwide Series and will run the full schedule this year for JR Motorsports. She also will make her Sprint Cup Series debut in Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500, the first of 10 scheduled events this season for Stewart-Haas Racing.

So, it's easy to understand why the traditional auto racing fan is concerned that ESPN might overwhelm fans with its interest in "Danicamania."

"Our coverage is in balance with what we believe the audience interest is," said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president of motorsports.

Former NASCAR champion turned ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett understands the conundrum facing Patrick and her move to NASCAR, which openly admits it hopes she drives ratings and attracts new fans. She'll be heavily featured in Saturday's season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona.

Follow this link:
NASCAR spotlight shines bright on Danica Patrick

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Miguel Paludo of Brazil, hits the inside wall during the NASCAR Camping World Truck series 250 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. Paludo walked away unhurt.

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Miguel Paludo of Brazil, goes airborne after a crash during the NASCAR Camping World Truck series 250 auto race on Friday night.

AP reports: Paludo was running third when he just lost control of his truck. He turned left and slammed into the inside retaining wall head on — a violent crash that caused his truck to spin like an out-of-control helicopter. All four tires left the ground and the engine caught fire before Paludo eventually came to a stop.

He climbed out a few seconds later and was unharmed.

"It was a hard hit for sure," Paludo said. "I lost my breath."

SB Nation reports:

NASCAR drivers have now gone headfirst into the inside retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway on consecutive days.

Fortunately, thanks entirely to the innovative SAFER barrier, both Danica Patrick on Thursday and Miguel Paludo in tonight's Camping World Truck Series race walked away unhurt.

The rest is here:
PhotoBlog: NASCAR driver in massive crash at Daytona, walks away

The downbound lanes on the Claremont Access are expected to be closed for days — possibly longer — as the city works to repair a Niagara Escarpment retaining wall that burst and spilled mud, rock and debris all over the roadway.

The accident occurred Wednesday afternoon as motorists were going about their usual business of using the access to get up and down Hamilton Mountain.

There were no injuries and the upbound lanes of the important artery were reopened to traffic two hours after the mudslide.

Brian Carnahan, who stopped to take pictures of the mudslide, was heading downbound on the access when he came upon the broken retaining wall.

A section of the wall and a tree had spilled onto the roadway.

“All of a sudden as I turned the corner I started to see this cluster of stuff.”

Carnahan says another man had got out of his car and was directing traffic.

The debris had reduced the downbound traffic to one lane.

Carnahan said as he started taking pictures, he heard a cracking sound “and it started to rain on me with water.”

“There was so much water there, and it just gave,” he said. “I'm surprised it didn't fall on somebody.”

Carnahan said he decided to leave a few minutes later in case another section of the retaining wall gave way.

“Thank God it didn't happen during rush hour because there would be dead people, that's for sure,” he added.

Gerry Davis, general manager of public works, told city council Wednesday night the retaining wall was last assessed and investigated for possible failure in November 2010. He said retaining walls on major road are inspected every two years.

Davis explained it is a double retaining wall and that the top wall had collapsed and crushed the bottom wall. Mud spilled onto the road and covered a tree that stood in the way.

The Claremont Access retaining wall was built in 1971.

Davis said repair costs had not been determined.

The failure might be weather-related, he told councillors, as there are no underground water mains or anything like that in the vicinity.

He said the city has commissioned a geotechnical and a structural engineer to do an assessment on the wall.

“They have to make sure it's safe before sending a contractor in,” he added.

Staff Sergeant Greg Doerr of Hamilton Police says the downbound lanes will be closed for an extended period, possibly days. Police were staying on the scene and Davis said public works would also be there.

City spokesperson Kelly Anderson said earlier in the day that structural and geological engineers were on-site very quickly to determine why the retaining wall failed.

The Claremont Access links Upper James Street with Victoria Avenue North in lower Hamilton. It is the newest of the city's Mountain access routes and carries about 16,000 vehicles each day.

The Sherman Access reopened at the end of October after a month-long closure. It was temporarily shut down when a section collapsed due to drainage problems caused by the Niagara Escarpment.

The cost of those repairs were $350,000.

Special to The Spectator

With files from Daniel Nolan

and Emma Reilly

Link:
Claremont Access still closed after mudslide

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ A commuter train went out of control and slammed into a retaining barrier in a central Buenos Aires train station during peak rush hour Wednesday morning, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 500, federal police officials said.

After impact, many cars pancaked or jumped the tracks, killing both passengers and people waiting at the station to board. No official cause of the accident had been determined by midday, but officials speculated that a brake or system failure or human error sent the train out of control.

Police spokesman Nestor Rodriguez said the train was traveling about 15 mph and that the toll could have been much higher had it been traveling faster.

The train that crashed was on the Sarmiento line that brings commuters to central Buenos Aires, the capital, from the western reaches of the metropolis.

Three hours after the crash, rescue workers with the Emergency Medical Care System along with firefighters and police were working frantically to free trapped passengers and extract victims from the twisted and compacted wreckage of the train.

Television coverage of the wreck showed scenes of anguish and desperation among people seeking news of friends and relatives on the train. Several hospitals were coping with treating the estimated 550 injured people.

One passenger who identified himself only as Emanuel told the newspaper El Clarin that he was nearing the end of his commute to his job when he felt a strong impact, followed by passengers "falling on top of each other" and by desperate screams.  

Several members of a rail workers union said in TV interviews that the commuter train system had fallen into disrepair. Union spokesman Ruben Sobrero, however, told reporters that the train's braking system had been checked as recently as Tuesday night at the Castelar  maintenance facility.

___

(Andres D'Alessandro reported from Buenos Aires, Kraul in Bogota, Colombia.)

___

(c)2012 the Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at http://www.latimes.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

_____

PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): ARGENTINA-TRAINCRASH

GRAPHIC (from MCT Graphics, 202-383-6064): train crash

_____

Topics: g000219158,g000362663,g000216690

» Recommend this story. » Know more about this story? Tell us.

Go here to read the rest:
49 killed as train slams into retaining wall in Buenos Aires

This winter’s mild temperatures likely contributed to the collapse of the retaining wall along the Claremont Access, says a local geoscientist.

Wilf Ruland says that the constant temperature fluctuations over the past several months have been especially hard on infrastructure — including the retaining wall that burst and unleashed mud and debris on the roadway Wednesday.

“What repeated freeze and thaw can do is lead soils and things like road beds to break down,” Ruland said. “It could have loosened things on the cliff above the top retaining wall. One possibility is that the water coming off of that slope and cliff face, together with the freeze and thaw, just loosened things up.”

Gerry Davis, the city’s director of public works, said the downbound access lanes will remain closed until at least Friday morning. Engineers have finished investigating the portion of the retaining wall that collapsed, but were expected to continue to check on the structure of the whole wall into Friday.

Davis says the city will reopen the access as soon as possible.

“If the safety issue is addressed and we can even open one lane, we’ll do that,” he said. “We appreciate the patience of the community, understanding there is a safety issue, and we thank them for their co-operation.”

So far, the city hasn’t released any details about the cost of the damage.

Like Ruland, Davis says the weather was likely a contributing factor to the collapse. Davis said yard waste dumped over the escarpment trapped moisture against the wall, which also could have caused damage. Ruland said extra moisture could have permeated deep into the soil and gotten trapped against the wall.

In most years, the freezing ground creates a barrier against any running groundwater.

“If, for some reason, the drainage system behind the wall isn’t working properly and you have a buildup of water behind that, it becomes a dam,” Ruland said, “and the thing isn’t built to be a dam. Water is incredibly powerful and heavy.”

When the access was last inspected in November 2010, engineers recommended that minor repairs — such as removing the yard waste and replacing a damaged guide rail — be completed within five years. That wasn’t done because of scant infrastructure resources, Davis said.

The next retaining walls scheduled to be replaced are at the Sherman Cut and the Queen Street access, scheduled for 2013 and 2014. Since those walls are scheduled to be replaced, they are inspected annually.

Davis said the Claremont retaining wall was built in 1971 and so was still within its expected 40- to 50-year lifespan.

“In this case, these panels had life left in them. And they failed,” Davis said. “We did everything we could.”

ereilly@thespec.com

905-526-2452 | @EmmaatTheSpec

Read more from the original source:
Claremont Access cleanup begins

The downbound lanes on the Claremont Access remain closed — possibly for days as the city works to repair a Niagara Escarpment retaining wall that burst and spilled mud all over the roadway.

The accident occurred Wednesday afternoon as motorists were going about their usual business of using the access to get up and down Hamilton Mountain.

There were no injuries and the upbound lanes of the important artery were reopened to traffic two hours after the mudslide.

Brian Carnahan, who stopped to take pictures of the mudslide, was heading downbound on the access when he came upon the broken retaining wall. A section of the wall and a tree had spilled onto the roadway.

“All of a sudden as I turned the corner I started to see this cluster of stuff in front of me,” he said.

Carnahan says another man had got out of his car and was directing traffic around the mudslide. It had reduced the downbound lanes to one lane.

He said as he started taking pictures, he heard a cracking sound “and it started to rain on me with water.”

“There was so much water there, and it just gave,” he said. “I’m surprised it didn’t fall on somebody.”

Carnahan said he decided to leave a few minutes later in case another section of the retaining wall gave way.

“Thank God it didn’t happen during rush hour because there would be dead people, that’s for sure,” he added.

Gerry Davis, general manager of public works, told city council Wednesday night the retaining wall was last assessed and investigated for possible failure in November 2010. He said retaining walls on major road are inspected every two years.

Davis explained it is a double retaining wall and that the top wall had collapsed and crushed the bottom wall. Mud spilled onto the road and covered a tree that stood in the way.

The Claremont Access retaining wall was built in 1971.

Davis said repair costs had not been determined.

The failure might be weather-related, he told councillors, as there are no underground water mains or anything like that in the vicinity.

He said the city has commissioned a geotechnical and a structural engineer to do an assessment on the wall.

“They have to make sure it’s safe before sending a contractor in,” he added.

Staff Sergeant Greg Doerr of Hamilton Police says the downbound lanes will be closed for an extended period, possibly days. Police were on the scene and Davis said public works would also be there.

City spokesperson Kelly Anderson said earlier in the day that structural and geological engineers were on-site to determine why the retaining wall failed.

The Claremont Access links Upper James Street with Victoria Avenue North in lower Hamilton. It is the newest of the city’s Mountain access routes and carries about 16,000 vehicles each day.

The Sherman Access reopened at the end of October after a month-long closure. It was temporarily shut down when a section collapsed due to drainage problems caused by the Niagara Escarpment. The cost of those emergency repairs was $350,000.

Special to The Spectator

With files from Daniel Nolan and Emma Reilly

Read the original:
Mud slide closes Claremont Access

MARION TWP. - A 19-month-old-boy died Friday after concrete from a retaining wall crumbled and fell on the boy, the Livingston County sheriff said.

Sheriff Bob Bezotte said the boy and his 5-year-old sibling were playing on top of an underground cellar that sits on a small slope at the family's home in the 5000 block of Dutcher Road near Coon Lake Road in rural western Livingston County at around 2:10 p.m. Friday. The boys' parents were in the home, he said.

"Over time, gravity and the elements slowly forced the earth to move down the slope," Bezotte explained. "While the 5-year-old was playing on top and the 19-month-old was below, the wall caved in."

The wall crushed the 19-month-old boy's head, Bezotte said.

The boy was transported to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, where doctors worked for hours trying to revive the child, Bezotte said. The boy died at around 4:30 p.m., the sheriff said.

"It was a horrible accident," the sheriff added.

Excerpt from:
Wall collapse crushes boy

BUENOS AIRES -- A packed commuter train entering a station at morning rush hour Wednesday suddenly smashed into a retaining wall, crumpling cars and leaving at least 49 dead, 550 injured and dozens trapped in the twisted wreckage.

Survivors described a full train – there reportedly were as many as 800 aboard – and a tremendous impact, with passengers thrown on top of each other and hurled to the floor.

"Unfortunately, we must report that there are 49 dead in the accident," including a child, police spokesman Nestor Rodriguez told a news conference, according to AFP.

Civil defense officials said at least 550 people were injured in the crash.

AFP said witnesses reported it appeared the train's brakes failed as it pulled into the "Once" station on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Transportation Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said the train entered the station at a speed of 12 miles (20 km) per hour and failed to stop, crashing into a retaining wall at the end of the track.

"It was a very serious accident," he said at a news conference. "Cars piled up on top of each other and one of them went six meters (yards) inside another car."

"People suffered contusions, but there are much more complex cases involving traumas of the thorax. There are people trapped alive in the cars."

At least 30 people were trapped in the twisted wreckage of the first and second cars of the train, Alberto Crescenti, the head of the city's emergency services office, said, according to AFP.

Firefighters and rescue workers had to break through skylights in the train's roofs to get inside.

"I felt the explosion of the crash. It was very loud. The train did not brake, I saw people hurt in their necks, arms, legs," AFP quoted passenger Pedro Fuentes as saying.

Another passenger, who identified herself as Myriam, said she was with her two children, ages six and four.

"In a blink of an eye we were on the floor. I don't know how we got out. The door crashed in on me, and I covered the girl."

The train's driver was carried away on a stretcher.

Wednesday's wreck came just months after eight people were killed when their school bus collided with a train in central Argentina.

Another collision between a train and a bus in Buenos Aires last September killed 11 people and wounded another 212.

REUTERS

Rescue workers extract a passenger from a commuter train that crashed into the Once train station at rush hour in Buenos Aires Wednesday.

Original post:
At least 49 dead, 550 injured after Argentina train crash