From French Mountain to MacKenzie Mountain—developing remedial options for slope rehabilitation

Cabot Trail Rock Slope Inventory and Assessment

Located in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the mountainous terrain along the scenic Cabot Trail Highway can pose a challenge when it comes to addressing geohazards. Parks Canada engaged us to perform a slope stability and rockfall hazard assessment for slopes along an 80-kilometre (50-mile) section of the road—from French Mountain to MacKenzie Mountain.

We inventoried and visually inspected the slopes, carried out geotechnical and geological mapping of relevant slope features, and performed condition assessments. When our geotechnical team inspected the sites, they performed rockfall hazard assessments and determined remediation options to address identified hazards.

Our rock slope stabilization program consists of a combination of rock slope scaling, rock anchor installation, removal of rockfall debris from the catchment ditch, and the installation of low-impact barriers to enhance catchment ditch effectiveness in select areas. For high priority sites, we developed remedial options, which include final detailed design, tendering, onsite engineering, and quality assurance services.

Since we started working on behalf of Parks Canada, we have completed six rounds of remedial work at 15 slopes to support continued safe passage for highway travelers.