scope:

GENERAL

Retaining walls shall be designed to withstand lateral earth and water pressures, including any live and dead load surcharge, the self weight of the wall, temperature and shrinkage effects, and earthquake loads in accordance with the general principles specified in this section.

Retaining walls shall be designed for a service life based on consideration of the potential long-term effects of material deterioration, seepage, stray currents and other potentially deleterious environmental factors on each of the material components comprising the wall. For most applications, permanent retaining walls should be designed for a minimum service life of 75 years. Retaining walls for temporary applications are typically designed for a service life of 36 months or less.

A greater level of safety and/or longer service life (i.e., 100 years) may be appropriate for walls which support bridge abutments, buildings, critical utilities, or other facilities for which the consequences of poor performance or failure would be severe.

The quality of in-service performance is an important consideration in the design of permanent retaining walls. Permanent walls shall be designed to retain an aesthetically pleasing appearance, and be essentially maintenance free throughout their design service life.