1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to civil structures such as a road for use in cold climates, as well as a machine and technique for constructing same. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards a method and apparatus for constructing a novel road whose principal component consists of a crushed ice aggregate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wintertime work in environmentally sensitive parts of the arctic and sub-arctic often requires that access roads, work pads and air strips be constructed of non-permanent materials which will not be detrimental to the underlying native vegetation.
The prior art has recognized the unique problems surrounding the construction of a suitable roadway in such cold climates. In the past, a common solution has been to construct such roads ofthe year. However, to the best of my knowledge, the use of such ice as a construction material for wintertime temporary structures such as roads or the like has, prior to my invention, not been utilized.
In a publication entitled: "Building And Operating Winter Roads In Canada And Alaska" by Kenneth M. Adam on behalf of the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, (believed published in 1978), the author describes an aggregate ice road whose "development was inspired by Alaskan Arctic Gas Pipeline Company as a technique to protect sensitive terrain from heavy traffic in areas where a lack of snow or lack of available water precludes the use of snow roads or solid ice roads." (Page 59). The aggregate ice road described by this author is believed