Wall Collapse Along South NJ Interstate 295 Had Several Causes: Report

BELLMAWR, NJ — The wall collapse at Interstate 295 in South Jersey near the intersection with State Route 42/Interstate 76 in March 2021 was caused by several "significant factors," a report from Hardesty and Hanover claimed.

Hardesty and Hanover, a company whose website stated it is a"full-service infrastructure engineering firm" headquartered in New York City, was hired by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to produce a report that ascertained probable causes of the collapse.

Patch filed an Open Public Records Act to receive a copy of Hardesty and Hanover's report.

The wall that collapsed, referred to as Wall 22 in the report, failed due to "complex" reasons that consisted of "both vertical and lateral displacements of the I11 (sand) material and a deep-seated bearing capacity/global stability failure," Hardesty and Hanover's report stated.

The following "significant contributing factors" led to the failure, according to the Hardesty and Hanover report's executive summary:

• The I-11 (sand) material utilized for the embankment and slope "was not an appropriate material to support a 30-foot-high retaining wall" since the material has "poor engineering properties" when it contains high levels of moisture.
• Some of the "unreinforced concrete columns" were not sufficient enough to handle the vertical and horizontal loads from the elevated roadway embankment, I-11 slope, and the MSE Wall to allow for "a suitable safe foundation."
• The location of the failure was known for its "chronic high groundwater condition and showed previous indications of instability."
• The heavy rain that occurred on March 24, 2021 — the day before the collapse — worsened the groundwater conditions "affecting the already marginally stable slope and ground improvement foundation system on which the wall was supported."

A spokesperson for NJDOT did not return Patch's request for comment on the Hardesty and Hanover report prior to this story's publishing.

Local Lawmakers Respond To Report

U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) and State Assemblymember William F. Moen, whose districts include the location of the wall collapse, said in a joint statement that they have "been assured" the reasons for the collapse are being addressed before the rebuilding of the wall begins.

The reasons for the collapse can be traced to almost the beginning of the project, a timespan of nearly 10 years, the lawmakers added.

"We want to be clear: this is unacceptable, and we will work to ensure that an event like this never occurs again," Norcross and Moen said. "We [also] urge all parties to make every effort to make up for lost time [and] get this project completed safely and efficiently."

A spokesperson for Moen pointed out that a bill that Moen introduced last month in direct response to the wall collapse (A3811) would require "geotechnical testing and certain monitoring of transportation projects."

More specifically, Moen's bill calls for "data concerning the shifting and settling of the transportation project shall be collected and any shifting and settling of the transportation project [to] be monitored."

The bill also states that any future transportation project site would be required to have groundwater tests completed fewer than 180 days of the project's start date.

A3811 was referred to the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, Moen's spokesperson said.

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