Simulation and settlement monitoring from geoforensic investigation and geotechnical rehabilitation of bridge approach

Transition approach settlement has always caused major problems, not only to the concessionaires, but also to the public. Maintenance budget of concessionaires has sky rocketed since the cost of pavement resurfacing and regulating increase every year due to routine works to improve and reduce the effect of differential settlement. The need to investigate and evaluate these transition approaches require detail preliminary and geoforensic investigation. The objectives of this investigation are a) to identify the cause of settlement at transition approach between the piled and the earth fill road embankments and b) to determine the settlement post construction. The preliminary and geoforensic investigations were conducted at South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) bridge BR12, specifically at abutment B and a proposed geotechnical rehabilitation, together with settlement monitoring were executed to evaluate the performance post rehabilitation. The finite element analysis is in good agreements with the monitoring data, two (2) years after the service of the expressway, hence a prediction was made to evaluate the suitability of the proposed solution, to ensure that it meets the requirements as stipulated by the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA). In addition, settlement monitoring up to 15 months was executed to see the actual performance of the geotechnical rehabilitation solution. It is observed that the settlement post rehabilitation is within the tolerance as specified by MHA. The geotechnical rehabilitation solution does not involve major excavation and the work carried out is fast and economical, thus prolong the need to execute pavement surface maintenance by the concessionaire.