Challenge

The reconstruction of Gornicza St. in Gdynia required securing a steep slope (with inclines of 1:1.5 to 1:1.09) of up to 10m high. Steady rainfall and periodic mudslides caused ever greater erosion of the slope, with additional difficulties created by utilities at the foot of the slope, including sanitation and water pipes. As a result, the client needed to build a retaining wall to not only secure the slope, but also enable the street’s reconstruction without damaging underground utilities.

Old Approach

A traditional solution involves the building of a concrete retaining wall. However, an analysis of the existing situation showed the impossibility of implementing such a solution without damaging the underground utilities.

Neoloy Tough-Cells Solution

A retaining wall of 10 m height and 100 m length was constructed using 200mm deep Neoloy Tough-Cells, infilled with a thickened sand-gravel mix. The result was an almost vertical wall (with a surface slope of 1:6) and the creation of a “green” surface allowing for the growth of plants in the Neoloy. The cliff above the retaining wall was secured by a Neoloy Tough-Cell array of 100 mm depth infilled with soil and sown grass.