Concrete shoring wall for large Coquitlam development collapses
[CORRECTION: This initial version of this story referred to a shoring wall, rather than as a retaining wall. The City of Coquitlam notes a shoring wall is a temporary structure, while a retaining wall is permanent.]
The concrete shoring wall for a large construction site close to the Burquitlam SkyTrain station has collapsed.
Footage of the collapse was posted to social media on Nov. 30, and taken by what appears to be construction workers working on site at 500 Foster Ave.
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Cracking can be heard in the video, which centres on a horizontal fracture across the wall. A stream of dirt trickles through a small hole in the fracture, which eventually bursts as the concrete gives way to an avalanche of construction fill.
No one was injured in the incident, and no known damage occurred to city roads or underground infrastructure, according to a statement from the City of Coquitlam.
The city said the developer, Amacon, notified them of a geotechnical issue in the early evening on Nov. 29.
“Staff were made aware that the shoring wall (i.e. the temporary wall that supports a construction site during excavation) on the north end of the site had started to fail,” the city stated. “It is not expected that there is any risk to infrastructure or buildings beyond the immediate area of failure.”
WorkSafeBC has attended the site and conducted their own inspection, and allowed work to continue under the supervision of the site’s geotechnical engineer to stabilize the wall, according to the city, adding inspections will continue on the rest of the shoring walls.
The City of Coquitlam has closed Foster Avenue between North Road and Whiting Way for emergency work, citing safety.
A traffic bulletin released shortly after the incident initially said the road was scheduled to reopen on Dec. 1, but the city now says ongoing work will be needed.
“It is expected that this work may take a few days, and we apologize to area residents for the noise of overnight work,” the city said.
The Dispatch has reached out to Amacon for a response.
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