Adaptive Design for Climate-Resilient Northern Transportation Infrastructure

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Adapting northern transportation infrastructure to a changing climate relies upon quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on the performance of geotechnical structures. The term `northern transportation infrastructure' refers here to infrastructure built on permafrost and `geotechnical structures' refer to foundations and earthen structures. Increased temperatures result in thawing of permafrost and reductions of the shear strength and stiffness of geotechnical structures. The current trends of climate warming are causing instabilities and serviceability issues with infrastructure. Warming in Canada's North is taking place at a faster rate than the rest of Canada. It is therefore critical that we protect northern infrastructure in the face of a changing climate. Resiliency and efficiency are vital elements of infrastructure in Northern Canada. The proposed research program aims at developing adaptive design methods to achieve resilience of northern transportation infrastructure in a changing climate. This research proposal is a continuation of my current NSERC Discovery Grant and will study three innovative adaptation methods related to the effects of climate warming on the structural stability of highway embankments in Northern Canada. The first method is the use of wicking geosynthetics to improve the structural stability of embankment fills. The second method is using geogrid-geofoam composites to stabilize embankments on icy polygonal ground. These two methods are applicable for newly constructed highway embankments on permafrost. The third method is to modernize an approach to accelerate thawing of degrading permafrost below embankments and to improve the mechanical properties of the foundation soils. This method is suitable for newly-constructed and existing embankments on thaw sensitive permafrost and in areas where permafrost is degrading. Transportation infrastructure is needed in Northern Canada to provide reliable, cost-effective services for economic and social development. Northern Canada is home to many First Nations people and is rich in minerals, petrocarbons and hydroelectric resources. Properly constructed and maintained highways, airports, and river crossings are necessary for the delivery of goods and services to the North, and delivery of mineral products to the Southern regions, which supports the socio-economic well-being of Northern communities. The proposed research program will help Canada with the capacity to manage infrastructure in the permafrost regions in the context of a changing climate. It will advance both research and practice in cold regions engineering, and will provide students the opportunity to develop a specialized knowledge of cold regions engineering and climate change issues. Students trained in this proposed research program will be particularly well positioned to tackle emerging engineering and sustainability challenges associated with northern transportation infrastructure.