Design, Construction, and Performance of an 18-Meter Soil Nail Wall in Tucson, AZ

This paper describes the design, construction, and performance of a soil nail wall system used by the Pima County Department of Transportation (PCDOT) to stabilize and retain two steeply sloping bluffs up to 18 meters high as part of a major road widening and realignment project along River Road, a major arterial roadway in Tucson, Arizona. The use of a soil nail wall system precluded the need to relocate major components of the Altamira Apartments, a luxury apartment complex situated atop the bluff west of an access road (Campaña Drive) leading from River Road to the apartment complex. The impacted components included a large swimming pool, a clubhouse, and a two-story apartment building, all located close to the crest of the slope. Because of the high property values in the area, replacement costs of these components were prohibitive. In addition, the artificial sculpted-rock architectural facing appealed to a citizen's advisory group because of its aesthetics.