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ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AS RELATED TO HIGHWAY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION AND THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ADJACENT REAL ESTATE

IN ONE AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, A PRIMARY ROAD WAS CONSTRUCTED AT THE TOE OF A LARGE LANDSLIDE. THE DESIGN FOR THIS ROAD REQUIRED THAT AN APPRECIABLE PORTION OF THE TOE OF THE LANDSLIDE BE EXCAVATED. THE REMOVAL OF THIS SUPPORT AT THE TOE VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED ALL USE EXCEPT THAT OF RECREATION. ANOTHER ROAD WAS DESIGNED AS A LARGE SEMI-S PATTERN ACROSS A STREAM-DISSECTED LANDSLIDE. THIS DESIGN NOT ONLY DEVALUATED THAT PROPERTY, BUT ALSO ESSENTIALLY ELIMINATED ANY POSSIBLE METHOD OF CORRECTION OF THE SLIDE CONDITION. IN ADDITION, THE CUT SLOPES EXCAVATED FOR THIS ROAD CONTINUALLY FAILED DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL, CREATING A HAZARD TO VEHICULAR TRAVEL. MANY EXAMPLES CAN BE GIVEN OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION NEAR OR UPON NATURAL GEOLOGIC HAZARDS SUCH AS LANDSLIDES, OVERSTEEPENED CLIFFS, ETC. WHICH HAS PRIMARILY PRESENTED A HAZARD TO THE MOTORIST. HIGHWAYS AT THE FOOT OF NATURAL SEA CLIFFS OR BELOW HIGH STEEP SLOPES IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS IN SOME INSTANCES POSSESS SUCH A HAZARD WHERE THE ROCK MATERIALS ARE UNSTABLE OR CAN BECOME UNSTABLE. EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT DESIGNS BASED UPON SUFFICIENT GEOLOGIC DATA CAN BE SAFE, EFFICIENT, AND ECONOMICAL. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THIS DATA, AT LEAST IN PART, BE AVAILABLE PRIOR TO DESIGN SO THAT THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT CAN BE PROPERLY DETERMINED. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY AND ECONOMY, MORE AND MORE USE IS BEING MADE OF GEOLOGIC SKILLS IN THE INVESTIGATION OF SITES, DURING CONSTRUCTION, AND IN THEIR CONTINUING OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE. /AUTHOR/

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00229736
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: pp 48-60
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Mar 9 1970 12:00AM