Abstract
Abstract. Transition zones between bridges and embankments are the most maintenance-prone locations in the road network of The Netherlands due to the very compressible soft soil layers that are widespread in the subsoil of the country. This aspect causes (differential) settlements at the ground surface, damage and maintenance costs for the road owner, and delays to road users. This paper provides the proof-of-concept of an innovative multi-source data-driven method based on the assimilation of both conventional settlement plate and satellite DInSAR data in numerical geotechnical modelling with the aim of supporting informed maintenance decisions.
Highlights
The Netherlands have always been prone to subsidence due to the presence of very soft and compressible soils in the shallow subsoil layers, resulting in damage to both buildings and the infrastructure network
Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch National Road Authority, estimates that the money yearly spent on maintaining the transition zones between bridges and embankments sums up to about EUR 1.5 million corresponding to 1 %–2 % of the entire budget yearly allocated for subsurface-related maintenance works of all the road infrastructure (Dieteren, 2011; Venmans and Kwast, 2011)
For the case study at hand, DInSAR data improved the reliability of the predictions performed by the model
Summary
The Netherlands have always been prone to subsidence due to the presence of very soft and compressible soils in the shallow subsoil layers, resulting in damage to both buildings and the infrastructure network. These layers, mainly composed by peat, organic clay and silt, are characterised by low stiffness, high compressibility and high creep rates (Den Haan and Kruse, 2006). The paper suggests a new approach in the analysis of settlements affecting infrastructure with the aim of helping the Road Authorities and the contractors in the decision-making process of future maintenance operations. The validation test was carried out by exploiting both conventional and DInSAR data sets
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