This engineering study describes the design and construction of a 46-meter (150-foot) tall mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall built along the western edge of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's third runway embankment, believed to be the tallest such wall in the western hemisphere at the time. The wall was necessary to raise the ground level by up to 50 meters while avoiding encroachment into nearby wetlands and creeks. Monitoring of the wall during and after construction confirmed it performed safely and largely as predicted.Open full document
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This paper describes the design and performance monitoring of a 45.7-m-tall four-tier mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall constructed as part of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport third runway expansion. The wall was required to avoid encroachment into adjacent wetlands and is believed to be the tallest MSE wall in the western hemisphere. Performance monitoring included strain gauges, inclinometers, optical surveys, and piezometers, with results comparing reasonably well with predicted performance.