GO Transit, the public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, planned an ambitious parking expansion project at the existing Maple GO Station in Vaughan, Ontario. A large 6m high, 300m long retaining wall was specified in order to maximize the usable parking area at the site. This SienaStone wall was constructed in two phases, with the first being a 100m section that required additional foundation replacement and improvement due to poor site conditions. Use of geotextiles and high-quality imported fill was mandatory to achieve the bearing capacities stated in the design.

Prior to the construction of the remaining 200m of wall, it was decided that this wall would be utilized as demonstration project to advance the SienaStone product on the Ministry of Transportation Designed Source for Materials (DSM) List from the existing status as a “Non-Reinforced” wall to a Geogrid Reinforced System. As part of the approval process, the MTO also requires the demonstration project to be regularly monitored (every 2 months) following construction for a period of 1 year to observe any settlement or movements that may occur. After a year round survey & monitoring program, the SienaStone wall performed beyond expectations, with little to no movement observed.

This level of performance is a testament to the construction, design and engineering of the wall, as well as the inherent stability and dependability of the SienaStone Wall system.