The mayor of East Moline, Illinois says metal straps that failed, allowing a retaining wall to collapse, should never have been used in the first place.
Bricks fell onto the road, blocking southbound 7th Street, when part of the wall - which is 20 feet high and about 100 feet long - collapsed in the 1800 block of 7th Street at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, August 26, 2015. Police said two light posts were also knocked down because of the collapse.
No injuries were reported.
The engineering firm for the original project claimed moisture behind the wall accelerated deterioration of the metal fastenings.
However, East Moline Mayor John Thodos agreed with the city's engineer, who said the metal was not part of the original design for the wall. Thodos now says carbon plastic material should have been used in the wall, instead of the metal fastenings.
The primary contractor responsible for building the wall is no longer in business.