ISSMGE’s International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories recorded 138,733 paper downloads in 2025, an 18.32% increase on 2024’s 117,260, signalling growing use of detailed case records by practising geotechnical engineers. Open-access case histories on foundations, embankments, ground improvement and slope stability are increasingly being used for benchmarking designs, calibrating numerical models and validating observational methods. The trend points to stronger reliance on documented field performance data, construction records and back-analyses to refine design parameters and risk assessments.

Helical tieback anchors are presented as tension-only elements installed beyond the active wedge to support vertical or near-vertical walls, typically using grouted or screw-in steel shafts with load-tested working capacities and corrosion protection. Helical soil nails are shown as shorter, more closely spaced inclusions installed within the failure mass to create a reinforced soil block, often suited to cut slopes or temporary shoring where access limits anchor length. Selection hinges on geometry, required wall deflection, available bond length, construction access for installation rigs, and tolerance for ground movement.

Repairing the Llangollen Canal breach near New Mills Lift Bridge, Whitchurch, is expected by the Canal & River Trust to cost several million pounds and occupy most of 2026, severely disrupting navigation on this key feeder from the River Dee. Engineers will need to dewater and stabilise the affected pound, reconstruct the failed canal bank and towpath, and reinstate clay lining and embankment drainage to prevent further leakage. The scale and duration signal significant geotechnical investigation and temporary works to manage soft ground and maintain adjacent infrastructure.