# Impact of Mining Disturbance on Highway Sustainability:
## 3 A Case Study
### Historical Background (Northern District of the Morava Pit)
Comparative views of the subsidence curves, obtained from the predictive calculations and geodetic measurements along two profile lines (the seam strike and dip) with the greatest subsidence values, are presented in Figures 7 and 8. Figure 6: Profile lines with a network of benchmarks for subsidence monitoring in the Northern District of the Morava Pit [84]. The B-B profile, situated along the seam dip, west of the mining operations in the Morava Pit, comprised 36 benchmarks with a total length of 1275 m (refer to Figure 7). Based on the measurements and obtained subsidence curves, it is evident that the most significant land subsidence occurred around benchmark 71 with a maximum value of U\({}_{71}=-1248\) mm. The highest subsidence values were observed in the F-F profile, aligned with the seam strike (see Figure 8). This profile comprised 28 benchmarks, totaling a length of 905 m. The maximum subsidence of U\({}_{7}=-1291\) mm was recorded at benchmark 7. Benchmark \(\Delta\)100 was positioned on the highway, with a measured subsidence value of U\({}_{100}=-187\) mm. The measurement results and time curves of benchmark subsidence obtained from the B-B and F-F profile lines, recorded after the completion of mining operations in the Northern District of the Morava Pit, were compared with the predicted subsidence curve. This comparison confirms the practical applicability of the stochastic method for prognostic subsidence calculations, which is essential for modern mining practices. Figure 9 shows all the excavation panels (EPs) with the predicted and measured subsidence curves. Figure 8: Vertical displacements of the terrain on the profile line F-F along the coal seam dip in the Northern District of the Morava Pit. Figure 7: Vertical displacements of the terrain on the profile line B-B along the coal seam strike in the Northern District of the Morava Pit. Geodetic surveying data are particularly significant as they track the progression of the subsidence process toward the highway and highlight the need to monitor its deformations. These measurements enable the assessment of the highway's behavior under the influence of subsidence and help evaluate the extent of damage based on permissible deformation criteria for such structures. It can be concluded that the predictive subsidence calculations using the stochastic Pataric-Stojanovic method were validated by geodetic measurements along the profile lines, affirming the method's reliability in practice, even though excavation and measurements were not completed due to the accident. The accuracy and reliability of this method have been proven through long-term measurements in studies conducted on other coal mines in Serbia [35; 47; 70]. Although a highway is located in the immediate vicinity of the mining field, the risk assessment for the impact of mining activities was not included in the predictive calculations of deformations (slope and curvature). Measurements conducted at benchmarks near the highway indicate that it is located within the influence zone of mining operations. Evidence supporting this includes the fact that in the highway section known as Aleksinacki Rudnicki, emergency lanes are absent, and the speed limit is restricted to 70 km/h. The impact of residual subsidence on the E75 Belgrade-Nis highway is evident in recent photographs illustrating its section within the analyzed zone (Figure 10). Figure 9: Excavation panels with prediction and measurement subsidence curves on the profile lines B-B and F-F in the Northern District of the Morava Pit. New Prediction of Subsidence and Deformatons for Potential Exploitation in the Southern District of the Morava Pit  
The ongoing global energy crisis has prompted consideration of the potential reactivation of mining activities in the Aleksinac mine, situated in the Southern District of the Morava Pit, which contains large geological reserves of brown coal and oil shale.