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Council hears $34,500 design change to raise retaining wall on South Walden Road
Summary
Staff said a design change to the South Walden Road widening will increase an existing retaining wall by about 6 feet to improve slope safety; the additional design work is estimated at $34,500 and will include a guardrail and sidewalk.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen reviewed a design change for the South Walden Road widening project that staff said is needed to maintain a safe slope where the city's design meets an existing retaining wall built by the adjacent Arbor Ridge development.
Gary, the project representative, told the board the city must design an addition to the neighbor's retaining wall because the existing wall is too short for the intended road grade. "The price of it is $34,500 as a design change order," Gary said, describing the estimate for the additional engineering work. He said the finished wall will be about 14 feet at the road, roughly 6 feet taller than the current 8-foot wall, and the plan includes a guardrail at the top to keep vehicles off the lighter slope and a sidewalk.
Board members asked whether the wall would be above the road and whether it would retain water; Gary clarified the wall is holding soil that supports the road and sits at road level rather than above it. The board also discussed proximity to planned housing: Gary said new homes would be set about 60 feet from the retaining wall and that the wall will align with the right-of-way line.
A board member noted the unpredictability of large earthwork projects: "Whenever we start digging, we're gonna be surprised by stuff," Gary said, describing common subsurface risks. No formal vote was recorded in the workshop transcript on the design change; staff presented the change order amount for board review as part of the consent/agenda discussion.
Next steps: staff will proceed with the design modification and include the $34,500 design-change order in project documents and contracting processes that return to board consent or approval as required.
