Wisconsin's landslide exposure concentrates along the Mississippi River bluffs in the Driftless Area and the Great Lakes shoreline, where WisDOT's river-bluff corridors see dolomite-capped slopes failing along the same freeze-thaw and groundwater-driven mechanisms found in neighboring Iowa and Minnesota's Driftless terrain, distinct from the glaciated till slopes common in the rest of the state.
This pattern is consistent with the broader Steep Slope Stability Issues challenges GSI addresses across the state.
GSI's soil nail walls for Wisconsin's Driftless Area bluffs anchor into dolomite bedrock beneath the weathered surface mantle, addressing the specific two-layer geology — soft surface soil over hard dolomite cap — this unglaciated region presents. GSI's soil nailing capability supports this step.
Wisconsin's Driftless bluffs channel groundwater along the dolomite-soil interface — horizontal drains are positioned specifically at that boundary rather than at a generic depth within the slope. This is one application of GSI's broader Soil Nail Launcher™ expertise.
Weathered soil overlying Wisconsin's dolomite caprock is often too thin and disturbed for conventional drilling to reliably reach bedrock — the Soil Nail Launcher™ installs through this transition zone in a single pulse. GSI's horizontal drains experience informs this approach.
This approach is informed by GSI's broader landslide emergency response work across Wisconsin.
Engineered for Wisconsin's conditions. GSI addresses the two-layer soil-over-dolomite geology unique to Wisconsin's unglaciated Driftless Area bluffs — distinct from the till-dominated slopes found across the rest of the state. It's backed by GSI's broader general contractors and asset owners capability.
Design/build delivery. Design and build responsibility sit with one team — avoiding the miscommunication between separate design and build firms.
WisDOT specification compliance. Engineering documentation and installation practices meet DOT standards beginning with the first engineering package.
WisDOT partners and Wisconsin infrastructure owners describe GSI's landslide repair results.
GSI's engineers are ready to assess landslide repair conditions at your Wisconsin site.