Slope Stability Assessment: A Case Study of Embankments Along OMU-Aran-Ilorin Road, Nigeria

Abstract: The frequent failure of embankment slopes along Omu-Aran-Ilorin road has resulted in the escalation of construction maintenance costs of roads. An approach to reduce the construction maintenance costs of highway maintenance is to ensure that a comprehensive assessment of embankment slopes is carried out during the initial design stage of road projects. The current study therefore provided a site-specific assessment of an embankment slope along Omuaran-Ilorin road. The site-specific soil samples were collected at four points at depth 0.5m and 1.0m and were subjected to index properties and shear strength properties. This was followed by results analysis and interpretation. The index properties reveal that the selected four soil samples are classified as fine –grained soil and examination of the embankment reveal point 3 as best location for slope stability construction while the remaining three location needs improvement and stabilization to be able to use as an embankments. Therefore, this research provided a site-specific geotechnical database for future implementation in the proposed design-recommendations for Nigerian soils, especially in the southwestern Nigeria. Further contribution of this research is to provide references for local practicing engineers.