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ADAPTATION OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN NORTHERN QUEBEC AND CANADA: PROBLEM ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOLUTIONS Session: Keynote / Conférence Guy Doré, Université Laval (Canada) Transportation infrastructure is essential for social and economic development of Northern regions. Permafrost degradation caused by poorly adapted design and construction practices and by climate change is now threatening the structural and functional capacities of roads and airstrips. The presentation will describe a research program conducted over the last 15 years with the support of several industrial partners. The goal of the program is to improve our capacity to build and maintain transportation infrastructure on sensitive permafrost. The objectives are (1) to improve knowledge on factors causing permafrost degradation around airport and road embankments, (2) to assess the vulnerability of airstrips and roads in Northern Canada, (3) to propose adaptation strategies for vulnerable facility, and (4) to develop performing stabilization techniques and document their cost effectiveness. The program involves documenting the problems affecting transportation infrastructure and the development of solutions through rigorous modelling and experimentation, and finally, the implementation of the solutions through pilot projects conducted with the cooperation of transportation agencies.
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