Transportation infrastructure settlement and heave distress: challenges and solutions

Transportation agencies spend millions of dollars annually to repair civil transportation infrastructure including pavements, earth structures and approach slabs distressed by soft compressible soils and expansive soils. Several research studies performed at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) focused on stabilizing these problematic soils so that they will provide better and more stable support to the transportation infrastructure. This paper focuses on a summary of two major distresses and mechanisms, and remedial measures for addressing these distress problems. A combined lime-cement stabilization method is fully evaluated in providing better support of pavement infrastructure, and these results are described here. Another major transportation infrastructure problem involving bridge approach slabs requires different treatment methods, and these results are briefly described. As a part of the recently completed research study assessments, both shallow and deep soil treatment methods for stabilizing soils are fully evaluated for their effectiveness in arresting the distress posed to the pavements and bridge approach slabs. These results along with a few future research needs are presented in this paper.