In the spring of 2019, a rock-fall event—with large boulders falling from the scenic rock bluff into a pedestrian area—occurred at Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hired Barr for a two-phase project to provide for short-term and long-term safety of visitors to the park in the project area.
In the first phase, Barr produced plans and specifications to remove and stabilize boulders and cobbles on the scenic bluff face to provide short-term public safety. This work included developing plans and specifications for rock scaling and bolting that would allow the installed bolts to be hidden from view to meet requirements of the Natural Scenic Riverway.
In the second phase, Barr worked with the DNR to design a rock-fall barrier that met the State Historic Preservation Office’s requirements to not affect the look and feel of historical elements in the area. Our design included an impact barrier that is faced with rock removed from the first phase. Services included producing topography of the bluff from data collected from a drone flight, producing high-quality renderings of the rock-fall barrier, rock-fall analysis, impact design of the concrete barrier, structural design of the barrier, part-time construction observation, and development of construction contract documents.