ABSTRACT
Thawing fine-grained soils are often fully saturated and have extremely low bearing capacity. In many countries with long-lasting winter seasons such weak soils may cause serious problems in the maintenance of road pavements. An appropriate selection of the most efficient method of subgrade reinforcement is therefore one of the most important factors in enhancing the performance and extending the service life of roads. This is particularly significant in the case of motorways, which are of the utmost importance to the development of any country. Owing, however, to systematic traffic of heavy vehicles and frost action in subgrade, motorway pavements can suffer serious structural damage during the spring thaw, and thus can last considerably less longer than expected.
