Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls are widely used in transportation projects due to their cost-saving, time-efficient, and resilient nature. Recently, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Federal Highway Administration have outlined new design changes to improve the service life of the walls in the FHWA Geotechnical Engineering Circular (GEC) 011. TRB hosted a webinar on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern that provided background and an overview of four design approaches for MSE walls: the coherent gravity method, the simplified method, the stiffness method, and the limit equilibrium method. Presenters discussed how to select the appropriate parameters for the design of MSE walls based on geometry, facing, reinforcement, and backfill utilized.

This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s Standing Technical Committee on Transportation Earthworks.

The slides are available. Please contact trbwebinar@nas.edu for a link to the recording. There may be a $90 fee.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Introduction and background – Daniel Alzamora, FHWA

2. Stiffness and limit equilibrium methods – Jim Collin, The Collin Group

3. Coherent gravity and simplified methods – Thomas Taylor, Ground Improvement Systems, LLC

4. Question and answer session moderated by Jie Han, University of Kansas

The first 60 minutes of the webinar were for presentations and the final 30 minutes were reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants can:

1. Review contractor design submittals which incorporate the new MSE wall design methods

2. Utilize GEC 011 to learn about the details and background related to the new MSE wall design methods

3. Select appropriate parameters based on selected geometry, facing, reinforcement, and backfill utilized for the design of MSE walls

Professional Development Hours

This webinar was delivered as a scheduled – e-learning live event and is categorized within RCEP as Technical, Health and Safety.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.