Big Sur, CA
The Pacific Coast Highway features some of the most scenic turnouts and historic bridges in the world. Maintenance of this stretch of road and bridges is a task that requires creative solutions. The steep hillside geography, tidal intrusion, and age of the infrastructure post technical challenges for any repair efforts when damage is discovered. Tidal forces undermined the lagging wall at the Lime Kiln Creek Bridge, in Lime Kiln State Park. This lagging wall is intended to support the bridge abutments and supports ahead of a redesign of the bridge in the coming years.
Cell-Crete crews installed permeable lightweight cellular concrete in the voids behind the lagging wall to prevent structural failure and further tidal damage to the abutment sections. The PLCC was pumped from the bridge, down the hillside and installed with minimum crew effort. Once the PLCC filled the voids, the structure was capped with shotcrete and prepared for the upcoming wet season.