Experience has indicated that the special design and construction features required to mitigate pavement damage due to frost action can result in significantly higher road construction/rehabilitation costs when compared to standard construction. If frost action is not controlled, permanent pavement deformation, damage to utilities and overall poor road performance will result in escalated and untimely pavement rehabilitation. A `standard' flexible pavement constructed in non frost-susceptible conditions could anticipate a normal service life of 12 to 15 years; the same pavement structure could require major maintenance within 5 years when constructed in an area where frost-susceptible subgrades are a problem. Over the past several years, a number of frost action mitigation procedures have been developed and implemented in the district municipality of Muskoka to control, not eliminate, frost action. Subsequently, a joint Ontario good roads association (ogra)/mto sponsored demonstration project has been undertaken by the district municipality of Muskoka to document the performance of these frost action mitigation measures and construct trial sections using the most favourable methods for full performance monitoring and cost benefit analysis and to assist in the development of new standards for rural/urban roads in areas of severe frost action. These trial sections were constructed in the Fall of 1992 with the final asphalt concrete surface course placed in June, 1993. (A)
Abstract