EVALUATION OF EROSION POTENTIAL OF BARE AND VEGETATED CUT/FILL SLOPES OF DECOMPOSED GRANITE AT BUCKHORN SUMMIT

Caltrans is planning on realigning Route 299 in Shasta County, which is a very winding road, to improve the operation of the roadway. During the course of this work, existing roadway slopes will be cut and the excavated earth material will be used to construct fill slopes along the new alignment. The soil in this region is mostly decomposed granite (DG). The stability and erodibility of these cut and fill slopes are crucial factors for transportation safety and water quality issues. The potential for vegetation growth on these hillslopes, and the subsequent effects on water infiltration and surface erosion (due to rainfall and permafrost action) need to be studied. In order to monitor the causes of rain-induced erosion and permafrost erosion, the experimental cut hillslope which was located adjacent to highway 299 at Buckhorn summit in Northern California was heavily instrumented. A nozzle type rainfall simulator was designed and its construction begun. The mitigation of erosion over bare cut slopes, and hillslope stability methods are described and discussed in this report. Particular emphasis is placed on the performance of vegetation and bio-technical slope protection methods. Also, an extensive literature review was performed on permafrost erosion and is presented in this report.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Performed under contract with CALTRANS, agreement number RTA-65T348.
  • Corporate Authors:

    University of California, Davis

    Pavement Research Center, One Shields Avenue
    Davis, CA  United States  95616
  • Authors:
    • Tayfur, G
    • Kavvas, M L
  • Publication Date: 1995-3

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References;
  • Pagination: 126 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00724547
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Final Report
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Aug 8 1996 12:00AM