Retaining wall in Courtenay at risk of breaking, city warns
· CHEKA retaining wall along the Courtenay River is at a potential risk of failure, according to the city.
A section of the wall along the 400-block of Anderton Avenue is the area of most concern.
The retaining wall is made up of two sections, a 50-metre sheet pile section and a 210-metre concrete section.
The city has been monitoring the sheet pile section since 2016, when some potential movement of the wall was detected.
Courtenay director of engineering Chris Davidson says the city conducted repairs at the time, and started a more “diligent monitoring program” of the retaining wall since then.
Recently, the city detected more potential movement along the sheet pile section of the retaining wall, which could lead to a “risk of partial or total failure.”
“Failure may be a gradual slide toward the river, or a rapid collapse caused by a flood or seismic event,” said the city in a notice Thursday.
“The risk of failure is much lower behind the concrete section of the wall, along Riverside Park.”
The city says two buildings are most at risk of a potential wall failure.
One building, the Cona Hostel, is believed to be unoccupied, according to Davidson.
Meanwhile, the other building, the Anderton Arms Apartment contains 10 units. The city’s top engineer says all residents have been notified of the wall risks, though the city has not instructed them to do anything yet.
“The city is not providing direction to residents and owners at this time, and the city is currently working to find a path forward that focuses on public safety and will continue to keep residents informed,” he said.
Davidson says the city is installing signs in the area to warn people of the potential wall failure. He adds that staff are “working diligently to come up with a path forward,” though there is no set timeline yet for when wall repairs or upgrades would be conducted.
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