Preliminary assessment of rockfall risk mitigation in access infrastructures to montserrat

Abstract

For the rack railway of Montserrat a hazard assessment has been performed to evaluate rockfall protection degree after the intensive protecting works carried out during the last 10 years. A qualitative analysis has been done to determine the hazard in 39 initiation areas defined by levels and basins, considering the rockfall propagation in the basis of reach angle method to be implemented in GIS. Despite all constraints of such type of approach, an overview on risk along the railway is obtained to assess the protection level obtained thanks to the protective investment done by the railway office, and also to prioritize the remaining hazard focus. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.