Slope stabilization and micropile technology sometimes come into contact with pieces of American history in ways you wouldn’t expect. At Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring, we always find that a good geotechnical engineering story—even if it takes place far from Colorado—is worth repeating!
Car enthusiasts might remember an incident from a little over a year ago, when eight rare Corvettes were swallowed by a sinkhole beneath the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. The museum (built above karst topography, which is often riddled with sinkholes and caves) debated about whether or not to preserve the sinkhole or fill it in, since the hole become a popular tourist attraction. They finally decided to fix the hole and even restore some of the damaged cars. So how will they go about filling in the infamous hole? The museum recently used the services of local slope stability engineers to map the cave structure below the museum using advanced surveying techniques, and they are now installing micropiles to provide future foundation stabilization and slope erosion control. The firm contracted to survey the site even won an award from the American Council of Engineering Companies.
Thorcon is always happy to see engineering done right, and to see fellow engineers get credit for a job well done. While we don’t have the same problems with karst topography in Colorado, there are always new slope stabilization challenges to tackle in Denver, the state as a whole, and even our neighboring states as well. From our headquarters in Littleton, we provide slope stability engineering services, including retaining walls, micropiles and soil nailing. Hopefully, you never face the destruction of classic vehicles in your erosion control problems, but no matter how unique the situation, Thorcon’s team of engineers and specialists can create a custom solution and execute it with a focus on safety and client satisfaction. Contact us today to get the job done right!
(Security footage from the original sinkhole incident, for anyone who didn’t see the story):