General Content Layout

In general, retaining wall layouts include the following information.
  • Plan View. Include the following in the plan view:
    • Beginning and ending wall points by station, offset, and roadway alignment
    • Additional points as necessary to describe the relationship of wall alignment to roadway alignment(s)
    • Indication of which side is the face of the wall
    • Horizontal curve information if applicable for wall alignment
    • Location of soil borings (Include boring name, station, offset, and top-of-hole elevation.)
    • Signing, lighting, etc., mounted on or passing through wall (Designate and locate the sheets that contain information for these elements.)
    • Surface and subsurface drainage structures or utilities that could affect or be affected by wall construction (Designate and locate the sheets that contain information on the structure or utilities.)
    • Limits of temporary special shoring
  • Elevation view. Include the following in the elevation view:
    • Existing ground line along wall alignment
    • Proposed finished grade line at face of wall
    • Bottom of wall for payment
    • Top of retaining wall grade line (Does not include the top of rail.)
    • Soil boring information where possible, shown at the correct elevation and scale
    • Designation for “Back Face of Wall” when back of wall is shown
    • Panel numbers when applicable
    • Drainage structures and features including slope at flowline, sizing, and maintenance recommendations within contract notes
    • Utilities, signing, lighting, etc., as noted above
  • Estimated quantity table. Include the estimated quantity table for each retaining wall type. Refer to a specific wall type for list of bid codes. Include the following in the estimated quantity table:
    • Area of retaining wall
    • Linear footage of railing on wall
    • Miscellaneous quantities associated with wall (riprap, etc.)
  • Typical section. A typical section should contain the following information:
    • Cross section showing the relationship of the wall to the roadway
    • Control point for horizontal and vertical alignment, typically shown at the top outermost corner of the wall
    • Indication of maximum slope on top of and in front of wall
    • Location of proposed finished grade
    • Railing type, flume, mow strip, etc., if applicable
    • Distance from back of wall panel to face of abutment cap, if applicable
  • General notes. Include the following in the general notes:
    • A note stating the required wall embedment depth if the specified embedment is greater than 1 ft. for slopes up to 4:1 in front of wall or 2 ft. for slopes in front of wall that are steeper than 4:1, as well as a note stating that the wall is measured between top of wall and "X" ft. below finished grade
    • Reference to all applicable standard sheets for pertinent information
    • Other pertinent information regarding wall design and construction
    • Foundation design criteria (nominal bearing resistance, resistance factor and others)