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Dry stone walls and stone protection to natural, excavated earth and rock faces have been used extensively as retaining structures in the United Kingdom, wherever suitable stone is found. Typically these retaining walls are about 0.6m thick, over 1.2m high, occasionally reaching heights in excess of 12m, and vary in length from a few metres to over a kilometre. In many cases these walls retain land above the highway as well as acting as a burr wall on the lower slope retaining the carriageway. Most dry stone walls date from the 18th and 19th centuries and it has been estimated (TRL survey) that there is at least 9000km in the UK road network alone with a replacement cost in the order £1m per km at 1995 prices. Other infrastructure owners, namely Network Rail and British Waterways, also have a stock of dry stone retaining walls together with other dry stone applications.
This project will build on the CIRIA’s successful asset management-themed reports on infrastructure embankments and cuttings and the forthcoming guidance on masonry and brick arch bridges, and tunnels to provide infrastructure owners, their consultants, contractors and maintenance contractors and inspectors with comprehensive, authoritative and impartial best practice guidance on all aspects of the condition appraisal, monitoring, repair and maintenance of dry stone retaining walls. The report will lead to cost savings through a better appreciation of how these structures work, avoiding inappropriate repairs and unnecessary replacement.
The final part of the report is currently being prepared ahead of circulation to the project steering group for final approval. The report is due to be published in spring 2008 with key findings being outlined at a CIRIA event on 5 March 2008, in london
Department for Transport, County Surveyors Society, Network Rail
Mott MacDonald Group in association with Myles O’Reilly
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