Landslides and Rehabilitation of the Highlands Highway, Papua New Guinea

摘要

A study was recently completed for a multi-disciplinary assessment of 600 km of the Highlands Highway that extends from the port city of Lae, through the Highlands to Mendi in Papua New Guinea. The purpose of the study was to investigate and design for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Highlands Highway to bring it to a standard where it provides an acceptable level of service. This paper deals with landslides and sediment run-out affecting the Highway, the process of classification and how the design for rehabilitation was approached. In addition specific case studies are presented to illustrate how the objectives of the study and reporting to the Client were achieved. The engineering geological studies involved air photo and satellite imagery review, detailed mapping of the geomorphology at over 120 landslides along the Highway, test pits, drilling and laboratory testing. Assessment for design of rehabilitation ranged from the appreciation of geological hazards contained within the hinterlands of large drainage catchments, landslides both within the road corridor and at quite remote locations, drainage and erosion issues in combination with many environmental and social aspects.