Rockfall evaluation in highways

Abstract

Highway rock slopes are potentially unstable surfaces and as such are susceptible to rockfalls that affect the highway's user safety, transportation infrastructure and surrounding environment. The geomechanical behavior of rock masses and also the geometric and traffic conditions of highways are fundamental aspects of rockfall evaluation. This research presents a case study of rockfall evaluation for slopes bordering highway sections, aiming to classify them and determine a hierarchy for intervention, based on defined criteria. In order to use this approach, field investigations including geomechanical classification of rock mass are necessary. In this context, twelve slope sections containing rock slopes in Espirito Santo's road network were investigated. The slopes were analyzed individually and the influence of each parameter in the global rating was evaluated. Parameter effectiveness in the proposed method was also evaluated. The slopes were classified to define priority measures to minimize roadway problems in each place.