Storm Damage Road Repair, Santa Cruz County, CA

Heavy storms during the winter of 2016/2017 resulted in severe damage to roadways in Santa Cruz County. Funded under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Storm Damage Road Repair Projects aim to repair eleven damaged roadway sites, with areas varying in size from 20 to 80 feet. PARIKH conducted field explorations, provided geotechnical information and foundation recommendations for each of the eleven sites. Project sites had major failures requiring structural design options. PARIKH evaluated each site in accordance with FEMA requirements. Challenges included difficult access conditions which required specialized equipment and traffic control. Borings were drilled at a depth of up to 55 feet below existing ground surface, and some required rock coring. Design for the sites ranged from soldier pile lagging walls; soldier pile walls with tie-back anchors; and earth retaining systems such as crib walls. PARIKH worked with the designer and Santa Cruz County directly to complete field exploration and deliver geotechnical information and recommendations in a timely fashion.