Remote sensing for highway management of landslides

Abstract

Recent developments in remote sensing have made it feasible to review high-risk, large-scale, earthwork sites on the highway network that have a history of instability. This paper describes two such sites in the UK: the Crackenthorpe landslide on the A66 in Cumbria; and the Leys Bend landslide on the A40 near Monmouth. Both sites have been the subject of long-term monitoring regimes, but because of dense vegetation and steep access it has proved very difficult to quantify ongoing slope creep movement accurately. This paper presents the case histories of the two slip sites, and demonstrates how the use of remote-sensing techniques has made it feasible to compare current topography accurately with historical records, to evaluate and plan future maintenance and stabilisation interventions.