Improving Sustainability and Durability of Pavement Structures in Cold Regions

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The need to construct and maintain large road networks with limited resources and under extreme temperatures is a challenge to Canadian transportation agencies, especially in the prairie region. Expansive soils and depletion of high quality aggregates are additional challenges to constructing low-maintenance pavement structures. Soil/aggregate stabilization techniques can be used to increase stability and stiffness of expansive soil and poor aggregates. However, durability of stabilized soil/aggregate layers is a concern in cold climates. The large uncertainty associated with the long-term performance of stabilized layers is a limitation to their use in cold regions. In addition to the above challenges, management of plastic waste has been an environmental challenge for municipalities because it does not degrade with time. While plastic waste can be diverted from landfills through recycling, some plastic waste materials cannot be recycled in domestically used products. To address this problem, several studies have investigated the use of plastic waste in production of asphalt mixtures. While it has shown some promise, only a limited number of studies have investigated the performance of asphalt mixtures containing plastic waste in cold regions. The long-term objective of this research program is to identify economic and sustainable solutions for pavement design and construction in cold climates. This long-term objective can be achieved by reducing uncertainty associated with innovative construction techniques, optimizing the use of limited resources, and using recycled materials in pavement construction. The specific short-term objectives of the proposed research program are as follows: a. Evaluate the suitability of different stabilization techniques for the available soils, aggregate materials, and climatic conditions in the study region. b. Characterize the durability and long-term performance of stabilized soil and aggregate layers using performance-based accelerated laboratory testing. c. Investigate the feasibility of using plastic waste in asphalt concrete mixtures in cold regions. d. Utilize imaging techniques to characterize the properties and freeze-thaw durability of asphalt concrete mixtures containing plastic waste. e. Provide guidelines for using plastic waste in asphalt mixtures and stabilization of soil and aggregate layers in cold regions based on the findings of this research program. f. Improve knowledge and skills of students related to advanced testing of pavement materials and design methods for pavement structures. The research program will have a significant impact on improving the sustainability and durability of pavement structures in cold regions. As a result, transportation agencies and municipalities will optimize the utilization of limited budgets, which is a challenge for agencies in cold regions and Canadian Prairies, and reduce the carbon footprint of pavement construction.