Journal of Cold Regions Engineering

While the authors of current bridge management systems (BMSs) have noted the need for expanding the systems to include more functional aspects of bridge performance, to date no method has been proposed for the incorporation of bridge rating against climate change impacts. This paper presents a new procedure for extending the asset management scope for highway bridges to incorporate the bridges’ resilience or vulnerability against climate change impacts. The proposed procedure draws from the projected demands of climate change—a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to produce its most dramatic impacts in cold regions. The following bridge resilience indicators are proposed: abutment washout, pier scour, abutment erosion, deck flooding, and abutment permafrost stability. The formulations for the proposed indicators require weights to be assigned to each indicator. The other requirement comprises capacity measures that indicate how well a bridge is equipped to withstand the projected climatic effects. The new procedure has been applied to 14 highway bridges in the Canadian Arctic to demonstrate how public investments in transportation infrastructure could be better managed and protected. The method comes with an Inspection Form that transportation agencies and their bridge inspectors can use for rating bridges on climate change resilience.

Cement-based solidification/stabilization ($\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{s}$) is a remediation technology that has been widely used for treatment of a range of contaminants. Currently, there is limited published data on changes in hydraulic performance of cement-treated materials subjected to cycles of freezing/thawing ($\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{t}$). Fourteen sets of tests were performed to examine the influence of factors such as number of $\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{t}$ cycles, freezing temperature, curing time, and mix design on changes in hydraulic conductivity and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of cement-treated silty sand. Results showed an increase of up to three orders of magnitude in hydraulic conductivity as well as decreases in UCS values after exposure to 4 and $12\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{t}$ cycles. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) performed on the results of a factorial experiment considering the effect of freezing temperature, curing time, and number of $\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{t}$ cycles showed that all of these factors are significant in affecting the measured changes in the hydraulic conductivity and UCS values. Monitoring of damage using the impact resonance method showed that changes in the resonant frequency of specimens were consistent with changes in hydraulic conductivity and UCS after $\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{t}$ exposure and also allowed monitoring of damage for intermediate cycles with minimal effort.

Efficiency of winter operations is essential for cities in cold regions because fiscal budgets are limited and excessive amounts of street sand and salt can negatively impact the environment. A review of winter maintenance policies in major Canadian cities has shown that freeways, business areas, and routes to transit and emergency venues are treated as priority. On these routes, snow is piled on the roadsides until it narrows the road width and decreases drivers’ visibility. At such time, the snow piles are hauled to specific snow storage or eliminator locations. In cities with relatively warmer climatic conditions, such as Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal, high amounts of street salt are used annually. In cities with extremely cold winters, such as Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, Canada, sanding is more common. Friction measurement devices, which have been developed in a number of diverse models, can provide data to compare and improve winter maintenance operations. Road friction measuring devices are not used for operations in Canada, but highway agencies and municipalities have begun researching and evaluating different devices and their effectiveness in optimizing winter operations.

The preparation and development of sludge management plans for waste stabilization ponds in Nunavut communities require the selection of processing options that are both appropriate for each community and minimize the total regional operating cost. Considering Nunavut’s unique regional constraints, five feasible sludge processing treatment trains were identified. A linear programming model was developed to identify the optimal selection of treatment technologies for 13 Nunavut communities that would minimize the total cost of sludge processing over a period of 40 years. In this study, preliminary cost estimates and literature-based sludge accumulation rates were used as inputs for the linear program, which is intended to be adaptable as more precise costs and accumulation rates are determined through initial project development and field study.

This technical note presents a method for the development of ice thickness distribution maps. It makes use of 0°C layer, stepwise regression, and operational experiences to address such problems as a lack of icing data. Using the proposed method, ice thickness distribution maps can estimate the accreted atmospheric ice for power transmission infrastructures in a more reasonable and accurate manner.