Along the scenic Route 74 Ortega Highway, Boulderscape gave Caltrans a wall that vanishes into the canyon — sculpting 18,488 square feet of structural and architectural shotcrete into a Corona Granite finish, delivered in 8 days at 37% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
Caltrans required a geological finish for a new soil nail wall along the scenic Route 74 Ortega Highway that would blend naturally with the surrounding canyon walls and native rock formations. Because of the corridor's highly visible location, the architectural finish needed to preserve the natural character of the landscape. Boulderscape's Corona Granite finish was selected to achieve the desired appearance.
Boulderscape hand sculpted the Corona Granite finish across the entire retaining wall, incorporating natural fractures, relief, and rock textures that replicated the surrounding geology. In addition to the architectural shotcrete work, Boulderscape stained an additional 91,493 square feet of concrete structures using a custom color blend to match the local rock formations, creating a consistent appearance throughout the corridor.
The project encompassed 18,488 square feet of wall surface consisting of an 8" thick structural shotcrete section with an average 3" thick architectural relief over a soil nail wall system using a 4,500 PSI mix design. The entire scope was completed in just 8 days, delivering a durable slope stabilization solution that blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment. 37% under traditional cast in place construction. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Finished and stain a 10” thick layer of structural/architectural shotcrete
Corona Granite
Earth Blend
Soil Nail Wall
4,500 PSI
8%-10% air was needed to help reduce chances of cracking in winter. Hydration stabilizers were used to maintain concrete temperature and extend the finishing time.
