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Rock Slope Engineering

Solutions that consider rock mechanics complexities, environmental and historical sensitivities, and constructability.

Brierley Associates rockfall and rock slope remediation design services consider rock mechanics, environmental and historical sensitivities, and constructability. Our staff’s extensive engineering geology and geostructural engineering capabilities allows us to understand the complexities of rock mechanics and access logistics. Vital to successful project delivery is our wide array of experience including planning, geologic evaluations, design, and construction management/construction monitoring.

Successful advanced geotechnical and geological engineering requires a combination of experience and knowledge of technology limitations. We approach all projects by developing a thorough understanding of existing ground conditions, then integrating the appropriate geologic parameters to develop sensible designs that are constructable within a variety of challenging environments.

Rock Slope Engineering Capabilities

  • Landslide, debris flow, and rockfall identification
  • Kinematic stability analysis
  • Subsurface investigations, including remote access and sensitive environments
  • Geologic mapping, hazard assessment and geotechnical instrumentation
  • Rock slope engineering – design of rock cuts and slopes
  • Rockfall evaluation and mitigation design ranging from scaling to steel mesh and rock bolts
  • Rock excavation and controlled blasting design
  • Retaining structures design – soil nail, reinforced earth and tangent pile walls
  • Design and construction management of slope stabilization systems installations

Rock Slope Engineering Projects

Our Rock Slope Engineering Team

Nick Strater, PG's Bio
Nick Strater-Engineering Geologist-Trenchless Sector Leader-Brierley Associates

Nick Strater, PG

Trenchless and HDD Sectors Leader

Bedford, NH

Nick is leader of our Trenchless and HDD Sectors. His specialties include rock and soil tunnels; trenchless designs ranging from horizontal directional drilling to pilot tube auger bore; microtunneling; rock slope evaluation and stability; rock blasting and, forensic geology. Nick serves on American Society of Civil Engineers Trenchless Installation of Pipelines (TIPS) Committee and ASCE committees developing Manuals of Practice for pilot tube, auger boring, and the Direct PipeTM methods. Mr. Strater is a frequent invited lecturer on the topics of trenchless method selection, design and risk management. He has authored more than 25 industry papers and presentations on topics ranging from trenchless technology to rock slope stability assessment and mitigation strategies.
Jon “Ike” Isaacson, GE, CEG, PE, PG's Bio

Jon “Ike” Isaacson, GE, CEG, PE, PG

Director of Geological Services, Tunnel Sector Leader

Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL

Ike, our Director of Geological Services and Tunnel Sector Leader, is a true renaissance man. He is licensed as a professional engineer and a professional geologist, in addition to being a licensed aircraft pilot. His interdisciplinary knowledge of engineering and geology, experience as a consultant, owner’s representative, and tunnel contractor is truly unique.

Ike’s tunnel experience includes design review, constructability, grouting, ground improvement, ground freezing, geotechnical instrumentation, rehabilitation, construction logistics, hyperbaric interventions, ground loss mapping and remediation. His broad knowledge, skill sets, and experiences, combined with his passion for solving geologic puzzles, provide him with a well-rounded, pragmatic approach that promotes project success.
Sean Harvey, PG, CEG's Bio

Sean Harvey, PG, CEG

Tunnel Sector Leader, Western Region

Leawood, KS

Sean is a licensed professional engineering geologist with more than 20 years of progressive experience in geotechnical and geologic engineering applications for underground design and construction, trenchless and tunnel design and construction, mining, and commercial construction. He routinely manages projects for underground design and construction, underground feasibility and design evaluation, initial support design and evaluation, rock mechanics, geotechnical investigations, geologic interpretation, and construction observation. He completed a Master of Science degree in Mining and Earth Systems Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and is a Certified Engineering Geologist and registered Professional Geologist.
Anna Crockford, PEng's Bio

Anna Crockford, PEng

Geological Engineer / Denver Office Leader

Denver, CO

Anna has a technical background in rock mechanics, underground design, geotechnical design, and dams and levees design. She has worked on a wide range of projects in the mining and heavy civil industries, including conveyance and water storage projects. Her background in Geological Engineering has enabled her to incorporate regional structural geology, geological features and historical land use in the geotechnical characterization of complex rock masses, including domain delineation and structural analyses for individual project sites. Anna’s design experience includes embankment construction and slope protection, seepage analyses, trenchless installations, underground excavation and support, pillar stability analyses, calibration and interpretation of numerical models, engineered slope design, and slope stability and hazard mitigation.
Brian Dorwart, PE, PG's Bio
Brian Dorwart - Trenchless Design and Construction, Grouting and Infrastructure Renewal Specialist - Brierley Associates

Brian Dorwart, PE, PG

Trenchless Specialist

Bedford, NH

Brian has more than 5 decades of experience and has built his career developing efficient trenchless solutions for a variety of applications ranging from new construction to pipe and tunnel rehabilitation. His areas of specialization include interaction of ground to excavation tools and natural environmental processes, and ground modification for construction. He applies this skillset to trenchless technologies including directional drilling and pipe rehabilitation and, construction of small to large tunnels. Using this experience, Brian delivers assessments of existing structures and evidence-based design of situation-appropriate rehabilitation technologies. Brian is a distinguished member of the North American Society for Trenchless Technologies Hall of Fame.