Abstract

In May 2006, the Glyn Bends section of the A5 trunk road in North Wales near Corwen was closed to traffic because there was concern regarding the stability of a very steep rock cutting supported by anchorages. Many of the original anchorages installed only 6 years before were at risk of failure due to corrosion because of as installed details. Following road closure, it was necessary to re-engineer the cutting by re-grading the north face to a safe angle that did not require anchorage support, and re-anchoraging of the south face. The road was reopened to traffic in July 2007.

This presentation discusses the findings of the investigation of the failures of the original anchorages and the re-engineering of the cutting. The solution adopted was the one with the lowest level of risk, in terms of cost, programme and safety issues.