Slide Repair 482 Sunset Drive

A slide or slope failure occurred in the vicinity of 482 Sunset Drive in Asheville, North Carolina.  The slide mainly affected the shoulder of the road and the residence below the slope.  Also, a portion of an existing residence retaining wall was destroyed in the slide.  The slide damaged at least the carport (and perhaps the house structure).  Some soil also slid into the residence’s swimming pool.  Based on our review of the provided documents, we understand the basement of the house had been experiencing cracking for years. This is also true for the retaining wall in the carport.  The City of Asheville requested our services to help design a repair to re-establish the road and a sufficient road shoulder.

The site is located at 482 Sunset Drive in Asheville, North Carolina.  The slide occurred in an approximately 50-foot-long area on the west side of Sunset Drive.  Below the slide is a two-story house with a carport, swimming pool, and pool house.  The slide area apparently contained sloped fill placed for the shoulder of the road.  Also, there was an approximately 7- to-10-foot-tall stone retaining wall at the bottom of the slope that formed the carport wall.  The wall failed in the area of the slide and is still standing outside of the slide area (along the driveway and behind the pool house and a portion of the pool).  The fill slope is inclined at about 1.2 to 1.4H: 1V (horizontal to vertical) and is about 8 to 11 feet tall above the retaining wall.

The west slide damaged the asphalt pavement along the edge of the Sunset Drive.  However, the road did not have significant cracking or signs of continuing movement other than a few longitudinal and transverse cracks typical with normal wear and tear.  A water line and sewer line extends under the pavement near the centerline of the road.  Overhead utilities for power, telephone, and cable are present on the west side of the road.

The design originally included 18 HP14x102 soldier piles, 13 soil anchors, walers, and precast concrete lagging.  Due to site configurations and excavations during construction, the design was modified during construction at the ends of the wall.  This required 2 additional soldier piles and 2 additional anchors.