Common Causes of Retaining-Wall Distress: Case Study

Poor performance of cantilever retaining walls has been observed at many sites in Southern California during postconstruction investigations. It was found that, in many cases, distress occurred because the walls were constructed outside of the original design criteria. Our studies indicate that during mass grading development projects, walls are frequently designed using soil parameters obtained during a preliminary soil investigation. When actual construction of a given wall begins, conditions encountered sometimes vary dramatically from what was originally expected or intended. Unless the soil design criteria are reevaluated and modifications made to the original wall design, an inadequate wall may be constructed and over time according distress will occur.