Earthworks & MSE
Jabal Al DeemAbove the Clouds Road
Earthworks and stabilization consultancy, including an MSE structure reported at approximately 55 m.
- Location
- Jabal Al Deem (Mount Deem), Kalba, Sharjah, UAE
- Sector
- Earthworks & MSE
- Client / authority
- Public-sector infrastructure client, Sharjah
- Status
- Consultancy on the access-road geotechnics and MSE wall; physical construction by the contractor
- DFEC’s role
- Geotechnical consultant for earthworks and a mechanically stabilised earth wall on the mountain access road. DFEC designed and advised; the contractor built the works.
- Services
- Earthworks & MSERoadsRock Engineering
Engineering challenge
The Above the Clouds access road climbs Jabal Al Deem. Steep topography, limited working room and the need for a high retaining structure produced an MSE wall reported at approximately 55 m — a height at which drainage, facing, reinforcement length and staged filling all become first-order issues.
Analysis and design approach
DFEC treated the wall as a system: internal and external stability, drainage, facing, available fill, and a construction sequence that could be executed on a steep mountainside. Design was coordinated with the wider earthworks and slope conditions above and below the wall so that the MSE structure was not isolated from the ground that loads it.
Recommended measures
- MSE wall design for a reported retained height of approximately 55 m, including reinforcement and facing intent
- Drainage and internal stability provisions for mountain rainfall and groundwater
- Staged construction and fill-placement advice
- Coordination with adjacent cuttings, slopes and road geometry
Outcome
The project demonstrates DFEC’s earthworks and MSE capability on a high mountain alignment, while keeping the consultancy/contractor boundary explicit.
Project photography
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