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THE INUVIK AIRPORT RUNWAY – AN EVALUATION OF 50 YEARS OF PERFORMANCE
Session: Infrastructure Performance in Cold Regions / Performance des infrastructures en régions nordiques
Ed Hoeve, Tetra Tech EBA Inc. (Canada)
Don Hayley, Hayley Arctic Geoconsulting (Canada)
The Inuvik airport is in continuous permafrost. The overburden is predominantly fine-grained ice-rich till. The runway embankment was constructed in the late 1950’s, using locally quarried rock. The selected fill thickness balanced the objectives of limiting the thermal impact on the permafrost and controlling cost. The runway was paved in 1969. Ground temperature monitoring until 1974 indicated that the runway was exceeding expectations, from a ground thermal response perspective. The active layer was being maintained within the embankment fill. A climate warming trend was first noticed in the 1970’s. At Inuvik, the mean annual air temperature has averaged about -8°C over the last 30 years. The embankment was designed when the mean annual air temperature was about -10°C. Ground temperatures in the vicinity of the runway have warmed significantly. Seasonal thaw is now extending below the embankment at some locations. The thaw of ice-rich subgrade soil has resulted in settlement, which is an operational and safety concern. This thaw is exacerbated by seepage through the thawed base of embankment. Measures to stabilize the settlement by controlling seepage have been proposed and are described. The implications for a future runway extension are also described.
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