7. Application and Feedback Analysis of the Freeway Slope Maintenance Management System in Taiwan

After the incident of the slope failure at 3.1 k of the Freeway No.3 in 2010, to ensure the slopes along the freeway stay stable and adapt to different environmental conditions, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau adopts a life-cycle maintenance system for managing the freeway slopes to ensure safety for the freeway users at all time. The management system uses a collected database and information system to manage the design data, implement multiple small maintenance projects, shorten application time, and minimize road traffic maintenance measures. The system also saves maintenance costs and extends the service life of the slopes. This paper reports the design concepts and features of the application of life-cycle maintenance here in Taiwan. Discussions on the study results of slope grading, the statistical information on facility maintenance history, the degradation condition of the ground anchors after study, and the current condition of each slope after analysis are also presented in the paper. A case example is presented to demonstrate how the developed system worked for the slopes along the freeway in Taiwan.