Project Summary

The Town of Rochester, Vermont, contracted with Hoyle Tanner to design repairs to stabilize a 90′ tall slope failure adjacent to Brandon Brook and West Hill Road. Intense rainfall events had undermined the toe and triggered the roadway and slope to fail and slide into the brook. Design plans and geotechnical calculations were prepared using a blast rock toe detail, Type II stone facing and grubbing to restore the slope, toe and brook channel. An underdrain was designed along West Hill Road and within the slope face to cut off groundwater seepage. A temporary road had been carved into the private property located directly across from the slope failure; once the slope was reconstructed, the road was moved back off of the private property and the homeowner’s land was repaired/restored to better than its original condition.  

Environmental permitting was an important component of the project for the temporary relocation of Brandon Brook which allowed the slope to be reconstructed from the bottom of the slope upward. Permits included a US Forest Service NEPA Categorical Exclusion, required because the project lies within the Green Mountain National Forest boundary.  A USACOE Category 2 Vermont General Permit and a VT Stream Alteration Permit were also required. The project was funded through VTrans. The project was scoped, designed, permitted, bid and constructed within 10 months and within budget.