Photo: Arkengarthdale Parish Council.

A retaining wall has collapsed meaning a key road in the Dales may have to close for repair work.

The wall at Forgill Bridge, on the main road in Arkengarthdale near Arkle Town, fell down on New Years Eve.

Highways officials have inspected the site today and say the road can stay open for now.

However, they have told Arkengarthdale Parish Council they will keep monitoring it and if it becomes unsafe, the road will have to shut.

It is expected the road will have to close for several months anyway for repair work later this year.

The parish council said in a statement: In the summer, the road will then be fully closed for three to four months in order to rebuild the walls on both sides of the road.

The bridge itself is sound, but the walls retaining the road on the Reeth side need serious attention.

The side that hasnt collapsed (the west side) is bowing inwards and so it makes sense to do this whilst the road is closed.

It is expected traffic would be diverted along Bouldershaw Lane through the watersplash to Low Row when the road does have to close.

Click here for more information from the parish council.

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Retaining wall collapses in Yorkshire Dales prompting fears of road closure - Richmondshire Today

A section along Anderton Avenue could collapse as a result of flooding or an earthquake, the city says

Courtenay officials are monitoring a retaining wall on the Courtenay River, saying a section along Anderton Avenue is at risk of collapse in the event of flooding or an earthquake.

The area of greatest risk along the 260-metre wall on the west side of the river is a 50-metre section below an unoccupied hostel and the 10-unit Anderson Arms apartment building next to the 5th Street Bridge.

Building owners and residents have been notified and the city said it is installing warning signs, but there are no immediate evacuation orders, nor an immediate timeline for repairs or replacement.

Staff are working to determine best path forward for the impacted properties and expect to have more information for residents and property owners in the near future, the city said in a notice this week.

The city made repairs to the 50-metre section in 2016 and recently noticed more movement in the piles.

Failure may be a gradual slide toward the river, or a rapid collapse caused by a flood or seismic event, said the city.

The Anderton Avenue retaining wall protects the banks from river flows, but backfill behind the wall has been sinking toward the river. This is a concern because buildings can only withstand a certain amount of movement before they become unsafe to occupy, according to Courtenays engineering department.

The risk of failure is much lower behind the 210-metre concrete section of the Anderton Avenue wall and the sewage lift station and Riverside Park behind it, according to the city.

The foundation of the 5th Street Bridge is not at risk, but the city said debris could damage the bridge if a rapid collapse of the pile wall were to occur.

dkloster@timescolonist

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Courtenay concerned about retaining wall along river - Times Colonist

December 14, 2023

The City of Courtenay is notifying the public about the potential risk of failure to the Anderton Avenue Retaining Wall located along the west side of the Courtenay River, parallel to the 400-block of Anderton Avenue.

The City has been closely monitoring the Anderton Avenue Retaining Wall following a repair in 2016. The wall is made up of two sections a 50-metre sheet pile section and a 210-metre concrete section. Monitoring has detected movement of the sheet pile wall, which indicates a risk of partial or total failure.

Failure may be a gradual slide toward the river, or a rapid collapse caused by a flood or seismic event. The risk of failure is much lower behind the concrete section of the wall, along Riverside Park.

Private property owners and residents impacted by this risk have been notified directly, and the City will install warning signs in the affected area.

This notification is a proactive measure to make property owners and residents aware of the condition of the Anderton Avenue Retaining Wall. We recognize that this information may be concerning, especially among impacted residents. said Mayor Bob Wells The City is completing additional structural inspections, and is actively working to determine a path forward for the impacted properties. We are committed to ongoing communication about this sensitive matter.

The City of Courtenay will provide property owners and residents with further updates as additional information becomes available. To learn more about the risk to the Anderton Avenue Retaining Wall, visit http://www.courtenay.ca/andertonwall.

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Potential Risk of Failure of Anderton Avenue Retaining Wall - City of Courtenay

The Ottawa Rowing Club sits along the Ottawa River below Lady Grey Drive. The National Capital Commission is building a new retaining wall to replace the current one seen at right, which is more than 110 years old. (Kimberley Molina/CBC - image credit)

The National Capital Commission is in the early stages of completely replacing the retaining wall on Lady Grey Drive, which is parallel to Sussex Drive near the shore of the Ottawa River, to ensure its structural integrity.

The wall built between1911 and 1913 supports the roadway above, which the commission (NCC) wants to transform into a pedestrian-friendly, multi-use "promenade," according to a presentation at a meeting of the NCC's board Thursday.

The NCC said ageotechnical study found the best way forward was to completely replace the 600 metre-long wall part of the wall partially collapsed in 2020something described as a "formidable engineering challenge."

The Ottawa Rowing Club, which sits just below Lady Grey Drive along the river shoreline, said the work will affect their next two seasons, but they hope to ultimately benefit from the road's revitalization.

"We'll make it work," said club president Peter Thompson. "Themembers are used to facing challenges at the shoreline, whether it's wind or waves or traffic or congestion on the docks at five o'clock in the morning. They're apretty resilient group."

Kimberley Molina/CBC

On any given spring day, there could be 100 rowers pushing off from the docks at the club. That number can double in the fall, so there will still be traffic along the road.

Thompson said the NCC, along with the city and federal government, hasbeen working with the club on the project.

"We have a commitment on the part of all three parties to keep atraffic lane open," he said. "So far, it's been a workable arrangement."

Public consultations are underway and the NCC said it has been working with local stakeholders to ensure disruptions are kept to a minimum during the construction phase.

In 2010, the federal government gave the NCC $1.5 million for work on "rehabilitation of a highly deteriorated dry limestone retaining wall."

That project was one of eight that were mentioned at the board's meeting Thursday.

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110-year-old retaining wall near Ottawa Rowing Club to be demolished, replaced - Yahoo News Canada

The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology began construction of a tire retaining wall in their on-campus garden at Buck House. Constructed by CCAT directors, instructors and volunteers, the retaining wall is part of CCATs project to rebuild the existing Reclamation Station structure located in their garden. The structure has served as storage for students to donate and access reclaimed building materials.

Made from used tires, the retaining wall is needed to support the sloped landscape where the structure is located. Following the walls completion, project managers and volunteers are working towards utilizing natural building materials to complete the project.

The goals of the rebuild are to increase usage of reclaimed materials through safer and easier access. With a budget of $1,000, the project is proposed to be completed by May 5th of this year.

Spearheaded by project organizer Maddy Hunt, the project is aimed at promoting sustainable practices and techniques as well as serving as an example of utilizing appropriate technology in construction projects.

The shed uses natural building methods which are focused on using reclaimed materials, minimizing ecological impact, and inviting community participation, Hunt said.

Plans for the rebuild include construction of a wall made of hempcrete, a natural alternative to concrete. CCAT intends to collect data on usage of the material within Humboldt County in an effort to understand and demonstrate the feasibility of hempcrete to address housing needs within the community.

External Co-director James Lara added that CCATs overall goal is to encourage sustainable resource and energy use.

We are in a live-in demonstration home for sustainability and to live lightly on the Earth, Lara said. Its about engaging students to have more experience with sustainable living.

Construction of the retaining wall is nearly complete, and project organizers expect to continue the groundwork for the structure in the next coming weeks with the help of students and volunteers. Hunt aims for the project to be a practical example of the organizations goals.

It can be a demonstration for Cal Poly Humboldt, Hunt said. Especially for us to demonstrate [sustainability building] here at CCAT. Its going to be a really cool way for us to connect with that and to be a part of that process.

Hunt added that the project has potential for showing the university and surrounding community the viability of natural building, noting the relatively quick project timeline.

A soon-to-be graduate from the Environmental Studies program, Hunt mentioned that the reclamation project is the culmination of what she has learned in her degree.

Its equally stressful as it is gratifying to be putting theories into action, and seeing it come together as not only a completed project in the end, but also as a network of people working towards a sustainable future, Hunt said.More information on the project and techniques being used can be found at http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_reclamation_station_2023. Those interested in aiding in the projects completion are encouraged to participate in CCATs Volunteer Friday events, which occur weekly from 10am-12pm and 1-4pm. More information can be found on the organizations website at ccat.humboldt.edu/ and Instagram @ccat.humboldt.

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CCAT begins reconstruction project - The LumberJack

SAN DIEGO

A man accused of driving drunk last year and fatally striking a toddler with an SUV on a City Heights street, then fleeing the scene, was ordered Friday to stand trial murder and other charges.

Margarito Angeles Vargas, 46, is accused of hitting 19-month-old Annaleeh Rodarte the evening of Sept. 24, 2022 on Redwood Street near 40th Street. He was arrested later the same day at his home in the Bay Terraces neighborhood.

Prosecutors say Angeles Vargas had a blood-alcohol content that measured .206 percent after the fatal crash California drivers are considered legally impaired if they have a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or higher and that he stopped for food from a street vendor at some point after hitting the girl with his vehicle.

A defense attorney called the collision a tragic accident, and said her client might not have seen the girl or been aware of what happened. The stop for food, she argued, could be evidence of that.

Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams said Angeles Vargas has never had a drivers license and has a previous DUI conviction from 2016. Because of that conviction, he faces a charge of second-degree murder, which carries a potential prison term of 15 years to life, rather than the lesser crime of vehicular manslaughter.

Under state law, prosecutors can charge a person who has at least one prior DUI conviction with murder, arguing that the defendant had been warned that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was dangerous, but chose to do it anyway.

According to testimony presented during a preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court, Angeles Vargas attended a baby shower on nearby 39th Street just before the fatal collision. After leaving that event, he drove south on 40th Street and turned left onto Redwood Street.

San Diego police Detective Michael Gottfried testified he reviewed camera footage from neighboring homes that show the defendants 1999 Toyota 4Runner turning so widely that he nearly strikes a parked truck on Redwood Street.

As the 4Runner turned onto the street, Annaleeh and three of her siblings were crossing the roadway about midway down the block at an unmarked crosswalk. After the girl was struck, she was taken to a hospital, where she died just after 1 a.m. the next morning.

A witness took a picture of the suspects SUV and captured the license plate. That picture was provided to San Diego police and the car was found to be registered to the defendants wife, according to testimony at the hearing.

About 10 to 15 minutes after the girl was struck, Angeles Vargas allegedly rear-ended another driver who was stopped at a red light at the intersection of 54th and Redwood streets. That driver, who was not injured,told police the vehicle that struck him, then backed up and struck him again before speeding off, San Diego police Detective John Letteri testified.

San Diego police Officer Christopher Lingenhol, one of the officers who arrested the defendant at his home, testified that he saw a driver pull the 4Runner into the residences driveway with significant difficulty, requiring multiple attempts to park the vehicle.

Lingenhol and other officers then ordered Angeles Vargas to get out of the vehicle and walk towards them. The officer testified that the defendant smelled strongly of alcohol, was swaying as he walked and looked ready to fall at any time.

Inside the SUV, officers found an opened beer can in the center cup holder and empty beer cans on the floorboard of the backseat.

Gottfried testified he inspected of the underside of the 4Runner, where he said he found blood and a white gel-like substance that he believed matched a substance found at the scene of the fatality. The detectivesaid he believed that substance came from a babys diaper.

Defense attorney Marie Maloney called the collision a tragic accident, but argued that Angeles Vargas may not have been able to see the girl because she was small in size and entered the roadway from behind a retaining wall.

He remains held in county jail on a no-bail status.

Union-Tribune Public Safety Editor Dana Littlefield contributed to this report.

Link:
Trial ordered for SUV driver accused of striking, killing toddler in ... - The San Diego Union-Tribune

History is ever-present in Athens. From the ancient Agora to the Parthenon, the past is never far out of reacheven in a busy metro station. In downtown Athens Monastiraki Metro Station, just north of the Acropolis, an active archaeology site is visible alongside the busy commuter rail.

During the construction of the Monastiraki Metro Station, several archaeological finds were uncovered, dating as far back as the 8th century B.C. and up to the 19th century A.D. The finds shed light on the citys ancient past and provide insights into the citys development through time.

There are three main parts to the archaeological exhibit in the station: the uncovered riverbed of Eridanos (the ancient River of Hades), the ceiling artwork Time in My Hands byLeda Papaconstantinou, and a display of one of the unearthed buildings.

The Eridanos River played a crucial role in the urban design of the area, rising from the lower slopes of Mount Lycabettus, a prominent limestone hill northeast of the Acropolis, flowing through Athens, and emptying into the Ilissos River, which flows into the sea. In the Late Classical period (5th-4th centuries BC), the river bed was bounded on both sides by large blocks and two paths on either side, which defined the building line for nearby structures. During Emperor Hadrians time (117-138), the Eridanos River was roofed over with a brick vault and converted into a sewer. A large retaining wall was built on the north side of the river to support a wide stoa or street, and the building line was set back five yards.

Papaconstantinous Time in My Hands consists of 324 separateplexiglasspieces that together cover an area of 160 square yards. The Attiko Metro commissioned the work in 2010. Leda Papaconstantinou is a Greek visual and performing artist from Larissa, the fourth most populous city in the nation 130 miles north of Athens. Her work first gained prominence in the late 1960s. In addition to her performance art pieces, she also works in visual mediums like painting, sculpture, video, and film.

En route to Line 3 in the station, you will go past some ancient buildings. The ruins are mainly of private buildings such as workshops and storage rooms, and the dating of these structures was based on various finds, including marble sculptures, architectural members, mosaic floors, wall paintings, decorative plaster, vases, coins, metal, and bone artifacts. The Ist Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture and Attiko Metro completed the excavation and landscaping of the area.

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Archaeological Site inside Monastiraki Metro Station Athens, Greece - Atlas Obscura

San Francisco, California, USA

Marc Cavagnero Associates renovation and expansion project for the Hamlin School has transformed the campus into a fully sustainable building minimizing demolition and maximizing the re-use of existing structures to reduce waste and save material resources and the insulation at all exterior building envelopes above and below grade to reduce energy use

The new Hamlin School campus has recently been awarded a 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The Hamlin School has focused on its mission of educating girls to meet the challenges of their time for over 127 years.

The School is located on a steeply sloped site in a residential neighborhood of San Francisco with restrictive height limits.

The campus consists of 3 buildings stepping 65 down a hillside while negotiating a 40 retaining wall, all conditions which created profound site constraints and design challenges.

With separate elevators and stairs in each building, the connections between the disconnected buildings were unclear.

The retaining wall in the center of the campus created a physical barrier between the middle school and the lower school, fundamentally dividing the site into upper and lower sections.

The three buildings were constructed in three different eras and were not designed to support the Schools contemporary pedagogical ambitions.

And the undersized gymnasium was shared with the performing arts department, compromising both the athletics and the performing arts programs.

Work was concentrated in the interior of the site to minimize the impact on the stunning Bay views from the campus and neighboring residences.

The project expanded the lower school McKinne building by retaining its front half while excavating behind it southward up to the retaining wall, capturing new excavated space as usable area.

The new design stacked a large double-height gymnasium above a multipurpose arts space deep in the center of the site, conforming to the zoning limits and minimizing visual impact on neighbors.

The roof of the expansion forms a new terrace immediately outside the existing science classrooms in the Middle Building, creating new opportunities for natural science education and experimentation.

This strategy also consolidated the newly enlarged classrooms on the north side of the McKinne building where they take best advantage of the large windows, soft light, and views.

The existing classrooms were small and did not support the schools project-based pedagogy.

Working closely with teachers, the classrooms were paired by grade level, with the youngest children at Level 1 ascending the building with age.

Each pair of L-shaped classrooms is connected by an operable partition and a shared project room.

This layout creates differentiated learning spaces to support different learning modes: individual, small group, whole class, and whole grade level.

The renovation also created a new, open, and accessible entrance at grade level, halfway between the first floor and the newly excavated lower level.

Where the former entry to the 1960s-era building was awkward, cramped, and hidden from the street, the new entry welcomes students, parents, and visitors and connects to interior lobbies at levels 1 and 0, leading directly to the multi-purpose performance space and the climbing wall.

These lobbies are open and flexible spaces used for class activities, after-school programs, and as pre-function lobbies for the new performance space.

Some of the sustainable features of the campus include a computer-controlled building management system including occupancy sensors and daylight sensors to automatically reduce lighting and HVAC system energy use where not needed.

The architects have used highly efficient LED lighting fixtures and low-flow plumbing fixtures throughout the building, while insulated glazing with low e-coating reduces solar gain and energy loss at all new fenestration.

Additionally, operable windows for user-controlled natural ventilation and limit mechanical cooling to large assembly spaces to reduce energy use.

Project: The Hamlin SchoolArchitect:Mark Cavagnero AssociatesDesign Team:Mark Cavagnero, Felicia Dunham, Anna de Anguera, Christopher Agosta and Tammy LePhamProject Manager:Pacific Union Development Company, Inc.Client:The Hamlin SchoolPhotographers: Mike Kelley

Link:
Marc Cavagnero Associates have completed the renovation and ... - Global Design News

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A Renovated Eichler Proves a Vibrant, Livable Showcase for ... - Nob Hill Gazette

A portion of Illinois Route 106 in Scott County closed Monday for work expected to take about seven months.

WINCHESTER A portion of Illinois Route 106 in Scott County closed Monday for work expected to take about seven months.

The closure will allow construction of a retaining wall east of the Hillview Blacktop, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Work is expected to be finished by late November.

Traffic will not be allowed on Illinois 106 between the east and west entrance of Timber Lane. A detour will be posted using parts of Illinois 106, Illinois 100 and Interstate 72.

Transportation department officials said motorists should allow extra time for travel.

David C.L. Bauer is editor and publisher. He joined the Journal-Courier in 2009 as editor and added publisher responsibilities in 2016. The Cincinnati native has worked as an editor for newspapers in Florida, Ohio and Kentucky and as a former adjunct instructor of journalism at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He has also worked at radio stations in Ohio as a news director and a disc jockey.

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Part of Illinois 106 closing seven months for construction - Jacksonville Journal-Courier