SOIL INNOVATIONS FOR ENHANCED COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE DURABILITY

Problematic soils found along U.S. coastlines — including expansive clays, weak silts, and shrink-swell soils — make building durable infrastructure like roads, ports, and railways a significant challenge, one compounded by saltwater intrusion and increasingly intense storms. This research works to improve chemical soil stabilization techniques specifically for coastal conditions by optimizing stabilizer composition to produce stronger, more durable bonding compounds, and by increasing compacted soil density to reduce moisture and salt infiltration. The goal is to develop cost-effective, locally sourced stabilizers that can extend the service life of coastal transportation infrastructure.