Bernhardt Creek Slide Repair

A landslide occurred on Bernhardt Creek Road in Lane County, Oregon in December 2015, which caused a section of the road embankment, including a portion of the traveled surface, to slide. The slide was approximately 20 feet wide at the roadway shoulder and 60 feet wide at river level. The county cut four feet into the hillside on the south side of the road to create a 10-foot unaffected road width as a temporary repair. DOWL led a geotechnical investigation, alternatives analysis, and design of a permanent fix for the landslide. DOWL first conducted an analysis of five alternatives. After careful analysis, the team selected a retaining wall as the preferred alternative because it presented the best combination of reasonable risk, constructability, cost-effectiveness, environmental and permitting options, and minimized traffic impacts.