A retaining wall failed along the A13 autobahn in Schonberg, Austria. Few details are available at this point, but the wall did fall onto a passing truck, killing the driver. Snowmelt was likely a factor in the failure. Rocks and debris continued to fall on the roadway while rescue and cleanup efforts were underway. [Source: The Landslide Blog. Image: oe24.at]
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Machu Picchu at risk from Landslides
The world famous archaeological site, Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes Mountains may be at risk from landslides. A paper published by three Japanese researchers describes their field work and instrumentation of the site and their analyses. Read on for more info. (Photo by Jungle_Boy)
North America’s Tallest MSE Retaining Wall
[Update Jan 28, 2008] It appears as if the Port of Seattle is in some hot water for some alleged shady dealings with one of the contractors on the project. More at Seattle Times. [/Update]
Erosion Control magazine has an interesting article on MSE Walls. I think the tie-in of MSE Walls with erosion control is a little questionable (they did mention wall drainage a few times), but the article highlights several interesting projects, particularly the Seattle-Tacoma Airport or Sea-Tac Third Runway Project retaining walls. The West wall for that project is the tallest MSE Wall in North America, 130-ft at its highest point. More after the break. (Photo by Sea-Tac Airport)