The Memorial City Redevelopment Authority, a government corporation in Houston, was created to aid, assist, and act on behalf of the community. Its mandate is to promote the common good and general welfare in the Memorial City area of Houston through investments in public infrastructure. The Redevelopment Authority was chiefly concerned with roadway and drainage improvements to prevent flood damage. In the Fall of 2014, the Redevelopment Authority accepted bids for the reconstruction of Lumpkin Road between Westview Drive and Northbrook Drive.

The proposal included new concrete pavement, new waterlines, storm and sanitary sewers along the road, and the renovation of an existing storm water detention pond located at the northwest corner of Westview and Lumpkin.

There would be increases in the width and depth of the L-shaped detention pond, bringing the maximum depth to 19 feet. The grading would require construction of six retaining walls, totaling over 22,000 square feet in face area. Houston officials selected Redi-Rock for the proposed retaining wall system based on the integrity of large precast modular blocks in a gravity design.

The on-site soils consisted of stiff-hard sandy clay and clayey sands – not the most stable soils for large block retaining walls. However, the design team at JC Hines & Associates went to work on optimizing a solution.

The final design included 9-inch setbacks for the block units and foundation soil improvements with cement-stabilized sand. Additionally, recycled crushed concrete aggregate was specified for the structural backfill. The result was an optimized wall solution that used fundamental elements of sustainable design while delivering cost effective earth retention structures on a challenging project site.

The Redi-Rock retaining wall units were manufactured by Wright Precast in Houston, Texas.