Probabilistic geotechnical designs in rural road infrastructure in Costa Rica

Rural road infrastructure normally lacks information to perform rigorous geotechnical designs, due especially, to budgeting restrictions. Three different transportation projects in rural areas in Costa Rica are presented, where a probabilistic approach was followed. The statistical parameters selected from previous research can be used as local literature values to perform probabilistic geotechnical designs and analyses when there is not enough data to execute a statistical analysis in a project. Moreover, these values could be used to better understand values obtained from geotechnical site exploration and possible regional tendencies. It is possible to conduct probabilistic geotechnical design even when a project does not include a throughout site exploration, like in low-budget projects. Probabilistic design for rural road projects can be a useful tool in the pursuit of optimal and efficient designs where soil behavior is better understood