Landslide Best Practices Handbook

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Michael Baker authored the Landslide Best Practices Handbook, which summarizes region-specific guidance for landslide mitigation that can be applied in landslide situations with similar characteristics. The handbook ensures local government agencies can more effectively use available funds to mitigate adverse impacts from landslides. The project included direct collaboration with the project panel, including members of the University of Pittsburgh Impactful Resilient Infrastructure Science and Engineering (IRISE) research consortium, Allegheny County, the Federal Highway Administration, the  Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The Landslide Best Practices Handbook outlines quasi “how to” procedures to establish fundamental guidelines to approach, characterize, assess and take corrective action within the framework of best practice.

Through the utilization of the Landslide Best Practices Handbook, practicing engineers and geologists are equipped to:

• Classify the type and form of landslide based on typical landslide movement and hazards in southwestern Pennsylvania.
• Identify long-term reliable design approaches and innovative construction methods and materials to create more resilient infrastructure systems.
• Assess a hazard rating and establish a threat priority, including the level of complexity to determine best practice.
• Make distinctions about acceptable consequences.
• Tailor solutions to the target audience.
• Create best practice guidelines for the life cycle of a landslide mitigation response, including approach, characterization, risk tolerance, control and mitigation.

Corrective actions considered included remediation measures to slow the progression and rate of landslide movement. The document also provides best practice guidelines for the life cycle of landslide mitigation response, including approach, characterization, assessment and mitigation, as well as best practices for slope maintenance and slope management systems.

The Michael Baker team specifically tailored the handbook to Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Greene, Washington, Fayette, Indiana, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, along with the river valleys particularly along the Monongahela River basin.