Banjo Bill Rock Catchment Basins

Public safety and maintaining environmental integrity are the two most important features highway departments consider when designing and procuring construction projects along scenic highway corridors. Design, contract procurement and construction of two rock catchment basins on SR 89A in scenic Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona required innovative thinking to meet the many environmental and technical challenges presented on this project. Anchored micropile earth retention structures were chosen as the most feasible alternative to create the two basins to catch and contain falling boulders and rocks from entering the roadway and adjacent campground. This paper will present and discuss descriptions of the environmental and geotechnical assessments, retention method selection, anchored micropile wall design features, alternative procurement technique used to contract the project, construction and site challenges, monitoring; and performance of the basin retention system.