The City of Trail has contracted Marwest Industries Ltd. to replace the retaining wall between 2031 and 2271 Daniel Street, which partially collapsed in 2022.
Construction of the project started yesterday (Monday) and is scheduled to wrap up on Oct. 15, 2024. Crews will be on site from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and occasionally on Saturdays until the project is complete.
Parking will be prohibited within the working zone to ensure safety and efficient project execution. Limitations will change based on the nature of the activity.
Motorists can expect detours around the construction zone, and modifications will be made to existing traffic patterns, including the implementation of single-lane, alternating traffic, and one-way traffic flows.
In spring 2022, a 12-metre section of the retaining wall collapsed. This resulted in the city hiring an independent geotechnical engineering firm who provided a temporary design solution to stabilize the wall until a permanent one could be constructed.
Claire Samulak, the communications and events manager with the City of Trail, explained that the temporary retaining wall was only certified as a solution with the expectation that a permanent replacement be constructed before the winter of 2024.
“When the rock wall fell, it was quite a safety concern. It covered the road and almost reached some of the houses below, so it needed to be cleaned up. We used large concrete blocks for the temporary wall, which wasn’t intended to be permanent.”
For the new wall, the city has chosen a Verti-Block design, which are hollow interlocking bricks. Samulak said careful consideration went into choosing the design of the new structure to ensure it’s in line with the city’s heritage infrastructure.
“The City chose this design in an effort to preserve the heritage look and feel of the existing failed structure. The City was focused on retaining this look while building to modern engineering standards.”
While the project is underway, access to residences located within the construction zone will be detoured through Bay Avenue and Topping Street. From there, one-way traffic will continue from Topping onto Daniel through End Street until it reaches Bay Avenue.
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