Retaining walls at a live junction
Harbury Lane Crossroads, Montel
Sheet piling and kingpost retaining walls designed for Montel Civil Engineering at a live four-way road junction in Warwickshire.
The challenge
Variable ground, changing retained heights and limited working space shaped the design. The retaining walls had to address highway surcharge and accidental loads while fitting around services, traffic and neighbouring properties at the junction of Harbury Lane, Chesterton Road and Fosse Way.
Our role
DAACE designed the retaining-wall elements for Montel. The developed scheme combined sheet piling at walls 1, 4 and 6 with kingpost-and-panel solutions at walls 2, 3 and 5, coordinated with the wider highway design team. Project records show design development from 2022, with construction and coordination through 2023–2024.
Design and method
Wall-specific calculations, ground models and design risk registers address SV100 highway loading and enhanced accidental-load cases where vehicle-restraint space was limited. Kingpost methods included protected bores, staged excavation and temporary support during panel installation.
Safety and site interfaces
Segregated traffic management, controlled deliveries and a banksman monitored excavator movements, with a marked stand-off zone and a banksman-operated stop pendant. Permits to break ground, service identification and stable working platforms controlled the groundwork. Vibration monitoring used client-defined limits, an audible alarm and a stop-and-review procedure. Task-specific lifting plans, controlled unloading and site briefings addressed restricted laydown space, plant positioning and the installation sequence.
Project record
A site audit in December 2023 records traffic management, inductions, daily briefings, signed RAMS, permits to break ground, edge protection and welfare arrangements in place. The archive includes revised methods, pile records, lifting checks, monitoring reports and toolbox talks. No final authority-acceptance claim is made.
