Bio-Inspired Stabilization of Levee Slope on Expansive Yazoo Clay at the Maritime and Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure in Mississippi

Mississippi’s expansive Yazoo clay experiences slope failures and shallow landslides that result in distressed foundations, roadways, and levees that are integral components of the maritime and multimodal transportation infrastructure. The wet-dry cycles inherent in the Mississippi climate cause shrinking and swelling that result in desiccation cracks, and the increased annual precipitation caused by climate change is allowing more moisture to infiltrate the weathered Yazoo clay, which means that the frequency of shallow landslides is expected to increase. The significant cost of remediation is borne by the maintenance budget of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and private and public property owners, and finding sustainable solutions that reduce costs and improve mitigation is vital. Vetiver grass is a sustainably sourced perennial bunchgrass that originated in Southeast Asia, primarily India, and has been in the United States for 100 years. It is classified as a sterile noninvasive plant by the United States Department of Agriculture and is an excellent, cost-effective bio-engineered solution for repairing shallow landslides on expansive soil, as its roots penetrate the soil more than 3 m under ideal conditions. Unfortunately, it is minimally used in the United States due to a lack of understanding of its performance. This report aims, therefore, to provide a more comprehensive view of the ability of vetiver grass roots to stabilize levee slopes and embankments in Mississippi's maritime and multimodal transportation infrastructures.

• Record URL:
  • https://martrec.uark.edu/research/completedprojects/jsu_bio_inspired_acc.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/73004
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Jackson State University

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  P.O.Box 17068
  Jackson, MS  United States  39217-0168

  Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC)

  University of Arkansas
  4190 Bell Engineering Center
  Fayetteville, AR  United States  72701

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Khan, Sadik
  • 0000-0002-0150-6105
  • Whalin, Robert
  • Spears, Amber
  • Chakraborty, Avipriyo
• Publication Date: 2023-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Research Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 77p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Embankments; Expansive clays; Grasses; Landslides; Levees; Soil stabilization; Swelling soils
• Geographic Terms: Mississippi
• Subject Areas: Environment; Geotechnology; Highways; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01904240
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747130
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 8 2024 12:19PM