Soil Slope Failure Investigation Management Systems

Abstract

Highway slopes are exposed to environmental and climatic conditions, such as deforestation, cycles of freezing and thawing weather, heavy storms etc. Over time these climatic conditions can influence slope stability in combination with other factors such as geological formations, slope angle and groundwater conditions. These factors contribute towards causing slope failures that are hazards to highway structures and the traveling public. Consequently, it is crucial to have a soil slope failure investigation management system to track, record, evaluate, analyze and review the soil slope failure data and soil slope remediation data so that cost effective and statistically efficient remedial plans may be developed. This paper presents the framework for developing such a system for The State of Maryland, using a GIS database and a collective overlay of maps to indicate potentially unstable highway slopes through spatial and statistical analysis.