A long time ago… in 2012, the City of Owensboro secured federal funding for major improvements on a drainage channel within one of the city’s neighborhoods. This old drainage system needed updated hydraulics to reduce flooding and prevent erosion at low channel depths. The plans were complicated by soft foundation soils and elevated seismic design requirements.

In conjunction with the city’s consulting engineers, JC Hines & Associates prepared a design for the retaining walls utilizing wet-cast, precast modular block units from Redi-Rock K.I.T. in Mt. Washington, KY.

Five Redi-Rock gravity walls were constructed in the Persimmon Ditch, with wall heights ranging between 3 and 9 feet. Over 7,700 square-feet of Redi-Rock cobblestone wall-face now line the drainage ditch, offering long-term slope stability and pipe integration. Face panels were cut on-site and fitted around the pipes to seamlessly integrate the city’s drainage system into these retaining wall structures.