T/XZBX 0169-2025 Seasonal Frost Area Highway Subgrade Protection Technical Specification

Scope

Under the cyclical freezing-thawing process, road subgrades in seasonal freezing regions are prone to typical frost damage issues such as frost heaving, thaw settlement, raveling, slope thawing, subgrade drainage failure, and pavement structure-related damage. These issues are characterized by their hidden and cumulative nature, often manifesting in winter or during the spring thaw, leading to uneven pavement, structural cracking, reduced bearing capacity, increased traffic safety risks, and significant maintenance costs. With the increasing networked operation of transportation infrastructure, the growing proportion of heavy-duty traffic, and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, the protection of subgrades in seasonal freezing regions needs to shift from "empirical treatment" to an engineering-based management approach of "risk-oriented, systematic protection, and verifiable quality control". The technical challenges of subgrade protection in seasonal freezing regions mainly include: the depth of frost and water migration processes are influenced by multiple factors such as climate, soil type, groundwater level, subgrade structure, and drainage conditions; protective measures need to balance frost resistance, durability, constructability, and lifecycle economics; and protection solutions must integrate with subgrade design, construction, maintenance, and emergency response to form a traceable, verifiable, and sustainable optimization technology loop. In practical projects, insufficient survey data, unclear frost damage risk zoning, incomplete drainage systems, or weak construction quality control may lead to issues such as "disease migration" and repeated repairs, even when surface protection measures are implemented. This document addresses the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of subgrade protection in seasonal freezing regions, proposing protection targets and risk identification, general principles, technical routes, key constr

Development Information

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