What are the Difference Between Retaining Walls and Bulkheads?
In marine construction and other areas of construction, retaining walls and bulkheads are built for similar purposes, to protect properties and areas of land from damage due to erosion and land movement. All bulkheads are technically retaining walls, but all retaining walls aren’t necessarily bulkheads. Bulkheads feature soil on one side and water on the other, while retaining walls don’t necessarily retain or come close to water. Both retaining walls and bulkheads are often built of similar materials, such as steel sheet pile, vinyl sheet pile, wood pilings, composite pilings, reinforced concrete, or some combination of these materials. Here are some specifics about both retaining walls and bulkheads that help differentiate them from each other, beyond what we’ve already mentioned:
Retaining Walls
A retaining wall is an inflexible and highly durable wall structure primarily used to laterally bolster soil mass in order to retain the soil to desired degrees on both sides of the wall. There are several types of retaining walls: cantilevered, gravity, diaphragm, sheet pile, anchored, and bored pile. Cantilevered walls are made of steel-reinforced concrete. Gravity walls are made of concrete or stone. They use gravity to their advantage to increase their strength. Diaphragm walls aka slurry walls are most often constructed using reinforced concrete. Sheet pile retaining walls are made of up steel or sometimes vinyl sheet piles for both temporary and permanent structures. Anchored walls use rock, concrete, or sheet piles and are reinforced with cables for extra strength. Finally, bored pile retaining walls are built using bored piles. After the bored piles are installed, it’s common for excess soil in the surrounding area to be removed.
Bulkheads
As mentioned, the biggest difference between a retaining wall and a bulkhead is that each side of a retaining while is surrounded by soil while one side of a bulkhead is usually surrounded by soil and the other side retains water. Bulkheads are commonly built on shorelines and help prevent coastal erosion of shorelines and beach areas. Bulkheads are stationed parallel to and close to high water marks in land areas to protect them from ocean currents and waves and ultimately prevent land movement. As we previously noted, steel sheet piles, vinyl sheet piles, timber, and concrete piling, among other materials, may all be used to create bulkheads. Bulkheads are often not a permanent solution in areas that are subject to severe erosion over time. In such areas, different types of walls and structures should be explored as permanent solutions.
OVERALL
Retaining walls and bulkheads can both be quite useful to aid in the prevention of erosion, land movement, and damage to sloped areas of land from changes in ground conditions. Bulkheads are particularly useful in coastal areas, while retaining walls may be used in many other areas. Ultimately, whether a bulkhead or a specific type of retaining wall (of the types of mentioned) is best depends on the unique needs of the area and its distinctive concerns, taking factors like geological conditions, coastal patterns, soil types, and upland drainage into consideration.
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