Structures of subgrade/pavement and construction techniques for the Taklimakan Desert Highway

Abstract

With lots of indoor and outdoor experiments, several key technical issues in construction of the Desert Highway have been solved satisfactorily, on the basis of great achievements of the studies in respects of dry compaction on sand base, design parameters, structure combination of subgrade and pavement, stabilization analysis of sand base strengthened with geotextile and a complete set of construction techniques. It is the first time the achievements of the study were successfully applied in the Taklimakan Desert where the natural condition is extremely harsh. It has been proved that it is economic and reasonable with reliable techniques and simple construction methods. The Desert Highway constructed with the achievements is the first-grade highway running through huge migratory desert for long distance in the world.