Roadbed, embankment, tower support and culvert stabilityproblems on permafrost

The history of railway and highway construction in permafrost zones in Russia, the United States, Canada, and China spans morethan 110 years. Nonetheless, no railway track or highway has yet been built in such area that is impervious to deformation causedby subsidence resulting from the thawing of ice-rich subgrade soils. This paper presents data on the roadbed states of the Transbaikalianand the Baikal-Amur Railways as well as the Russian "AMUR" Chita-Khabarovsk Highway. It also discusses the feasibilityof roadbed stability maintenance using methods based on the reduction of the mean annual ground temperature and roadbedpreservation in a permafrost state by means of the natural cooling and heating factors ratio regulation resulting in a reduction of theheat generation in the roadbed and the adjoining area accompanied by an increase of heat consumption with help of thesun-precipitation protective sheds (awnings), rock covers, dolomite powder (reflective paint), cooling tube and thermosyphons aswell as tower supports and corrugated pipe culverts stability.