When the earth weakened and caused a wall on the highway to collapse three weeks ago, it closed a northbound lane of traffic on Route 295.
The lane is still closed, but the wall be rebuilt, a spokesperson for the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) during a virtual meeting with Camden County officials April 7.
State DOT officials still haven’t determined a cause
of the March 25 collapse of an I-295 retaining wall, and have hired a forensic engineer to independently determine a reason.
The forum answered a request by State Senator Nilsa I. Cruz Pérez, Assemblyman William F. Moen, Jr., and Assemblyman William W. Spearman, all D-Camden, who wrote a letter on March 29 about holding a public meeting to answer questions from drivers and residents after the collapse.
The retaining wall that was under construction when it collapsed is part of the larger $900 million I-295 Direct Connection project, designed to improve the flow of traffic at the junction between I-295, 76 and Route 42.
The huge project was started in 2014, but with the wall collapse the projected finish date of 2028 is in jeopardy.
During the meeting, NJ Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scacceti displayed photo that had been taken March 24, the day before the collapse, when large, long cracks appeared in the pavement on top of the wall.
“They obviously raised concerns on the part of the department and we started conversations with our contractor and consultants about what was causing the cracks,” she said. “Before we were able to do that, this is what happened in the overnight, early in the morning of the 25th, the retaining wall failed.”
The failure is where the soil that was bracing it, “just fell out, it just let go. It was certainly not what we expected when saw the cracks,” she said.
Currently, the wall is being demolished.
“We need to take the wall down to a point where the soil (behind it) is secure. We are in the data collecting mode and taking down the affected part of the wall,” Gutierrez-Saccetti said. “This is a very serious collapse. We’re thankful none of our contractors or employees working there were hurt.”
The wall will be torn down until experts find to a point where they know the soil is secure, she said.
“We will work with soil borings and with geotechnical engineers to determine when we get to that spot where the wall is no longer in danger of collapsing,” she said.
Officials were alerted about two years prior by U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-NJ, that some of the retaining wall tiles started to bulge, which she said was because water got behind the wall, froze and pushed out walls. That issue was addressed with the DOT’s contractor, she said.
While the DOT still does not have a definitive answer for the cause of the collapse, the commissioner said it is working with the contractor, the design engineer and the construction inspection firm to determine it.
“The department has retained a forensic engineer, an independent third party, that will review the testing data to determine what was the issue,” she said. “I don’t want to speculate (about a cause).”
Other parts of the I-295 project “have not been impacted by what was seen here,” she said. “It is not something affecting the whole project.”
The Direct Connection project was estimated to cost $900 million and is expected to be completed on budget, said Stephen Schapiro, NJDOT spokesman.
“The completion date has been pushed back because of a delays related to utilities, right-of-way acquisition, and revisions to some elements of the project such as the pier system for the new ramp that will carry Route 42 northbound to I-295 northbound,” he said. “Prior to the wall collapse the expected completion date was late 2028.”
When the earth holding up some of the concrete ramps and roadways gave way at the NJDOT I295/I76/Route 42 Direction Connection project in Bellmawr March 25, NJDOT notified Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer that the right lane on I-295 northbound is closed at Essex Avenue for emergency retaining wall stabilization in Bellmawr.
“Motorists should expect heavy congestion on I-295 northbound and Route 42 northbound. If possible, you should plan an alternate route during peak travel times,” said Dyer, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works.
The right lane on I-295 northbound where it crosses over Essex Avenue was closed after the retaining wall crumbled.
The precise timing of the work to fix the retaining wall is subject to change due to weather or other factors, according to a statement from NJDOT. “The lane closure will remain in place until further notice.”
