As part of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT’s) ongoing effort to solve engineering problems for the Ohio transportation system through research, The Ohio State University has undertaken a Bio-Engineering for Land Stabilization study under the direction of Professor Patrick J. Fox and Professor Emeritus T. H. Wu. Bioengineering is the use of vegetation for slope stabilization and has been used with success throughout the world; however, not much work on this topic has been performed in the mid-western United States.
The aim of this study is to identify bioengineering methods to address ODOT’s land stabilization needs in response to the all too common occurrence of shallow landslides. Bioengineering methods offer environmentally and economically attractive alternatives to traditional approaches to remediate and prevent such landslides. This research plans to achieve several objectives through the construction of three field demonstration projects: (1) to identify important factors that control success or failure of bioengineering methods, (2) to develop installation techniques and designs for successful application of bioengineering methods, (3) to provide thorough documentation to guide future work in bioengineering for ODOT, and (4) to develop new monitoring and testing methods that may be required for bioengineering projects.
To date, research demonstration sites have been selected in Muskingum, Logan, and Union Counties and design and construction efforts are underway. Initial results of the project indicate that bioengineering installations, such as live willow poles, can be effective for the stabilization of shallow slides if the vegetation can be established.