We Struck Water! Discovery of Artesian Groundwater Solves A 50-Year-Old Landslide Puzzle

Some unstable slopes fail dramatically, but most can be characterized by gradual, if not monotonously slow, movements. Yet these latter situations can pose a dilemma when a temporary repair is much simpler and far less costly than finding the root cause of the movements and fixing it. Such was the situation for this case history of slope movements at a sidehill embankment constructed for Route 191 to connect Interstate 91 and Newport, VT. The slope has been the subject of investigations, monitoring, and mitigation construction efforts undertaken by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) for more than 50 years.