Investigation on the geological and geotechnical factors leading to a major slope failure at a selected site on a Jordanian highway

During and after the very wet 1991/1992 winter experienced in Jordan, significant slope failures occurred along several sections of the new Irbid-Amman highway in Jordan. The topography over most of the route is hilly, and significant amounts of cut and fill were used to construct the highway. One such slope failure lies at 44+800 km on the highway south of Jerash City at a distance of about 5.0 km from Wadi Zerqa bridge. A landslide occurred downslope of the highway embankment resulting in a collapse of the most of the gabbion wall supporting the embankment. This paper deals with the overall stability of the slope at 44+800 km. It presents the geological and geotechnical studies carried out at this site, identifies the causes and mechanism of instability, and presents appropriate remedial measures. The study concluded that the landslide movement occurred within the colluvium material. It resulted primarily from excess piezometric pressures generated within the slope as a direct consequence of inadequate drainage. It is recommended to reconstruct the entire gabbion wall with its foundation seated on the sandstone that underlies the colluvium and to install a surface drainage system at the site.