Cold regions cover 50% of the world's total land area. All transportation infrastructures in cold regions face great technical challenges due to ground freeze-thaw or permafrost degradation. New transportation infrastructure on embankments, such as high-speed railways on slab tracks or highways, requires high geometry standards. In China, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has been in operation for more than 6 years but now faces issues due to permafrost degradation. More challenging technical problems will arise as more transportation infrastructure, such as highways, is being planned and/or constructed in Northwest and Northeastern China, Russia as well as the North America.