Performance of highway embankments in the Arctic constructed under winter conditions

• Published in: Canadian Geotechnical Journal
• Main Authors: De Guzman, Earl Marvin B., Alfaro, Marolo C., Doré, Guy, Arenson, Lukas U., Piamsalee, Aron
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Inuvik; Northwest Territories; Tuktoyaktuk
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2019-0121; https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cgj-2019-0121; https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cgj-2019-0121

There are uncertainties related to the mechanical behaviour of embankments where frozen soil is used as fill material and experiences natural thawing and settlements during the first thawing season following construction. Fill material of embankments in the Arctic is primarily sourced from locally available borrow sites that, in certain areas, are predominantly composed of fine till with high ground ice content. Side slope sloughing and fill cracking typically occur due to thawing of the frozen soil and development of localized thaw settlements under the embankment shoulders and side slopes. To assess the performance of a frozen fill embankment, test sections were constructed along the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and instrumented with temperature and displacement sensors. One test section was reinforced with layers of wicking woven geotextiles at its side slopes to primarily provide reinforcement against lateral movements and drainage during the thawing season. Field data show that the central and bottom portions of the embankment fill are still frozen while the thaw depth has increased at the toe. This paper presents the analysis and synthesis of the first 3 years of monitored performance of the embankment test sections following construction.