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Live Load Effects of Railroads on Retaining Walls and Temporary Shoring

Project Summary

Highway construction activities sometimes require retaining walls and temporary shoring in close proximity to railroads. Railroad loading typically involves a large component of live load surcharge on retaining structures relative to most other situations. Current design guidelines for estimating live load effects can give widely varying predictions of loads and deflections. In the case of shored systems, the requirements for allowable deflections are quite strict. Thus, uncertainty in predicting live load effects coupled with the strict deflection limitations can lead to uneconomical designs. To address this problem, the research will comprise three major thrusts: monitoring instrumented cantilever and soldier pile/lagging test sections constructed by the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), numerical modeling to extrapolate the results to other wall types and soil conditions, and evaluation/modification of existing design methodology.

Project Number

0-6786

Status

Completed

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