PAW PAW SLOPE STABILIZATION - CHESAPEAKE & OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

The presentation describes the Paw Paw Trail slope stabilization project at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The site lies beside the Paw Paw Tunnel, a roughly 3,118-foot-long, brick-lined tunnel built between 1836 and 1850 to avoid constructing more than 6.7 miles of canal along the Potomac River. The tunnel and its approaches have experienced repeated rockslides since the 19th century.<br /><br />The slopes consist of Upper Devonian Brallier Shale, including bedded shale, siltstone, and sandstone. Geological features such as bedding, joints, cleavage, and folding contribute to instability through planar sliding and toppling. A significant slide occurred in 2016, and the area is traversed by approximately 250,000 visitors annually.<br /><br />In 2021, the National Park Service awarded Drill Tech Drilling and Shoring a design-build contract to remove slide debris, stabilize the adjacent slopes, and replace the wooden boardwalk. The stabilization work, carried out from 2020 to 2023, addressed both the active slide and areas affected by earlier slides. Measures shown in the presentation include rock anchors, pinned mesh, and a buttress.<br /><br />The project’s central challenge was to improve slope stability while preserving historic features, maintaining the landscape’s natural appearance, and minimizing impacts to natural resources.

Keywords

Paw Paw Trail

slope stabilization

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Paw Paw Tunnel

rockslide

Brallier Shale

rock anchors

pinned mesh

buttress

National Park Service