Lessons and Challenges from Rehabilitation of Major Landslide in Colluvium

Abstract

A large landslide in Western Pennsylvania adjacent the Ohio River impacted a four-lane highway and three lines of a major railroad. This event presented a major disruption to transportation services in the area for several months and it took several years to complete the stabilization and rehabilitation project. A critical component of the assessment and stabilization effort was related to the geologic conditions at the site and the original construction activities at the site. Geotechnical instrumentation played in significant role in assessing the cause of the failure and in guiding the stabilization efforts. Several innovative engineering solutions were developed to fit the project- and site-specific conditions. This presentation will provide details of the numerous assessments that were made, stabilization and rehabilitation design details, results of the construction performance monitoring activities, and results from post-construction monitoring. The presentation will include the numerous lessons regarding the approach to projects of this type.

Presenter Bio

Dr. Bachus is a geotechnical engineer with more than 40 years of experience in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. He started his career as an 11-year member of the geotechnical faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology before joining Geosyntec Consultants in 1990. His research and project activities cover a wide range of topics, including dams and levees, landslide assessment, landfill design and performance, soil/rock properties, and forensic engineering. He has worked extensively on the properties and beneficial use of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) and geotechnical data management and visualization. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech and a member of the Soil and Rock Properties Committee of ASCE. He is the Chairman of the AFP30 Standing Committee on Soil and Rock Properties of the Transportation Research Board.