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NWT HIGHWAY 3 TEST SECTIONS NEAR YELLOWKNIFE
Session: Infrastructure Performance in Cold Regions II / Performance des infrastructures en régions nordiques II
Jan Stirling, BGC Engineering (Canada)
Jack Seto, BGC Engineering (Canada)
Lukas Arenson, BGC Engineering (Canada)
Muhammad Abu Bakar, Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Transportation (Canada)
Highway 3 is the only all-weather road connecting southern Canada to the City of Yellowknife. The last 100 km of the highway is located in an area of extensive discontinuous permafrost in the Great Slave Lowlands. Ground temperatures are typically warmer than -1°C and extensive permafrost degradation has been noted in recent years. Originally constructed as a gravel road in the mid-1960’s, the highway was straightened and reconstructed between 1999 and 2006. Since reconstruction, sections of the highway have experienced significant sagging in soil-covered areas and considerable maintenance is required to maintain safe driving conditions. In 2012, four test sections were constructed to evaluate potential mitigation techniques for road embankments on permafrost foundations. The test sections involved different levels of embankment reconstruction, from dressing the existing side slopes, to partial and full replacement of the road embankment fills. Thermistors were installed in the test sections and bi-annual inspections carried out to monitor the thermal and structural behaviour of the embankment. This paper presents data and findings from the first 2.5 years of monitoring.
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