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Post by Gokhan on Aug 24, 2014 14:38:40 GMT -8
In the only Phase 2 mishap so far, a portion of the Great Wall of West LA appears to have caved in. Great Wall of West LA runs from Centinela Ave (LA - Santa Monica border) to Bundy Drive. The cave-in appears to have occurred shortly east of Centinela Ave due to some soil and/or foundation problems. This is an elevated MSE (mechanically supported earth) segment. It appears that the contractor Skanska has excavated the section and is trying to repair it and/or carrying out geotechnical investigations. They also seem to be carrying out geotechnical investigations outside the wall in the orange-netted area in the second photo below. It's not clear if this will delay the completion of the project and for how long. No tracks can be installed here until the geotechnical investigations are completed and the section is then repaired and backfilled. First picture shows the excavated section and the second picture shows the amount of cave-in. Pay attention to the lines of the tiles and see how much they are dipping in the area next to the orange net.   |
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 24, 2014 15:02:47 GMT -8
Per the info from Skanska via expolinefan, they stacked a 5-ft-high, 200-ft-long dirt pile on top to remedy the problem (to compact the soil?) and it's expected to be removed as early as in a week so that they could finish the MSE section here.
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Post by masonite on Aug 24, 2014 16:25:59 GMT -8
Per the info from Skanska via expolinefan, they stacked a 5-ft-high, 200-ft-long dirt pile on top to remedy the problem (to compact the soil?) and it's expected to be removed as early as in a week so that they could finish the MSE section here. This has the potential to be a big problem. Let's hope not. We should find out more at the open house presentations in Sept. |
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 7, 2014 13:48:40 GMT -8
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Post by masonite on Sept 7, 2014 15:50:54 GMT -8
It looks like they will leave the wall as it is and not make any repairs. You can see the dirt pile up behind the wall to try to settle the ground. It's hard to see the amount of sink from this angle though, as it's only a few inches./quote] Did you hear this from Skanska or Expo? Seems a little surprising that they could just leave it but maybe. We'll see if they can start laying track here now. |
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Post by roadtrainer on Sept 8, 2014 15:51:58 GMT -8
Email Expoline fan....he gets his info straight from Skanska... 
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 12, 2014 14:56:46 GMT -8
Apparently there is a disagreement between Skanska and Expo on what needs to be done -- Skanska wants to leave things more or less as they are and Expo wants it do be redone, apparently. Since this could potentially result in a lawsuit, neither Skanska nor Expo seems to give much info on this. We'll eventually find out more -- either at the community meeting or at the board meeting.
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Post by masonite on Sept 12, 2014 15:46:07 GMT -8
Apparently there is a disagreement between Skanska and Expo on what needs to be done -- Skanska wants to leave things more or less as they are and Expo wants it do be redone, apparently. Since this could potentially result in a lawsuit, neither Skanska nor Expo seems to give much info on this. We'll eventually find out more -- either at the community meeting or at the board meeting. Not good. Redone, I assume means rebuilding the entire wall in that section. That could delay the project by quite a bit. |
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Post by joemagruder on Sept 13, 2014 5:35:22 GMT -8
Having to rebuild the wall in 5 years could really create difficulty = headline: "LA's heaviest use rail line to be out of service for 6 months."
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Sept 13, 2014 23:44:10 GMT -8
Having to rebuild the wall in 5 years could really create difficulty = headline: "LA's heaviest use rail line to be out of service for 6 months." The Metro Red Line will be out of service? |
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Post by Gokhan on Oct 2, 2014 10:20:26 GMT -8
I found out the final status of the wall at Tuesday's Palms / Cheviot Hills meeting.
The wall will stay as it is -- with the 6" warp seen in my picture.
Both Skanska and Expo have fully OK'd this.
What they did was that they loaded the earth with additional earth -- much heavier thand the weight of the trains. They let it sit and measured further cave-ins. There was no further cave-in. They also took soil samples from under the foundation. They decided that since the wall is OK with weights much heavier than it will ever experience (with light-rail trains), it should be OK to leave it as it is with the warp. I wonder how a magnitude 7 experience would be on the warp though.
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Post by masonite on Oct 2, 2014 10:34:34 GMT -8
I found out the final status of the wall at Tuesday's Palms / Cheviot Hills meeting. The wall will stay as it is -- with the 6" warp seen in my picture. Both Skanska and Expo have fully OK'd this. What they did was that they loaded the earth with additional earth -- much heavier thand the weight of the trains. They let it sit and measured further cave-ins. There was no further cave-in. They also took soil samples from under the foundation. They decided that since the wall is OK with weights much heavier than it will ever experience (with light-rail trains), it should be OK to leave it as it is with the warp. I wonder how a magnitude 7 experience would be on the warp though. Good news. Is there still the feeling that they are going to be able to complete major construction in early 2015 and start limited train testing early in the year? |
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 26, 2015 20:09:52 GMT -8
It sounds like this has turned out to be a major issue after all. I am guessing the cave-in in the southern MSE wall is what has put Track 3 (southern track) out of service. They have been pumping slurry to stabilize the wall and they are now building drainage.
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Post by Gokhan on Dec 3, 2015 15:10:32 GMT -8
According to the project engineer who spoke at the Expo board meeting today, since the completion of pumping of the grouting, the wall seems to have stabilized in the last four weeks -- no more sinking movements.
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f ron
Full Member
Posts: 222
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Post by f ron on Dec 4, 2015 12:07:42 GMT -8
I listened to the audio of the Expo Line meeting --and I know I'm parsing words here-- but the project manager said "the wall seems to be stabilizing" and that there was "almost no sinking in the last four weeks". It's encouraging news but it doesn't sound like the issue is considered resolved. I can't help but wonder how a super saturation from a big El Niño might effect the conditions around there.
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