The Wessleman Road and Rybolt Road intersection in Green Township of Hamilton County, Ohio was well-known for its traffic and safety issues. Poor sight distances and increasing traffic volume had combined to make this intersection of the two local streets notorious for its hazards. With a new subdivision development planned to add over 200 new homes in the immediate vicinity, the daily traffic count in this intersection would increase significantly. It was time for county officials to act. In April of 2014, the Hamilton County Engineer’s Office released construction plans for these much needed improvements.

The intersection improvement was part of a $5.76 million-dollar project to widen Rybolt Road between Hearne and Hayes Roads. The project included upgraded sewer lines within the right-of-way and new dedicated turn lanes as well as flattening, straightening and widening of the intersection itself. In addition, the retaining walls that had previously lined the intersection would be removed and replaced along the reconfigured traffic corridors.

The plans required the proposed retaining walls be set-back farther into the surrounding private property. A precast modular block retaining wall system that would not require external reinforcement was specified as the basis for the design. This retaining wall technology would ultimately limit the amount of right-of-way required for the project and the subsequent inconvenience for the property owners.

JC Hines and Associates designed the Redi-Rock retaining walls that were constructed on the project. The wall design incorporated Redi-Rock block units with intermittent 16-5/8” horizontal set-backs that maximized the allowable design height while reducing the imposing verticality of the taller retaining walls.

In total, eight (8) Redi-Rock retaining walls were designed for the project with a combined face area of 11,252 square feet.