Designing and maintaining infrastructure in Canada’s remote and northern regions is inherently expensive. Long distances, limited access routes and exposure to harsh climatic conditions increase construction complexity and drive high costs across the infrastructure lifecycle. Logistics, imported materials, and variable ground conditions are key contributors to these challenges, particularly in communities reliant on seasonal or limited-access infrastructure.

Geocells offer an engineering-led approach to addressing these cost pressures by improving structural efficiency and reducing material and transport requirements. As an engineered geocell system, Neoloy® Tough-Cells from PRS Geo-Technologies are designed for long-term structural performance, supporting resilient and cost-efficient infrastructure in remote Canadian regions.

Sources: Infrastructure Canada – Investing in Canada Plan,  Engineers Canada – Climate Change and Engineering 

Why Infrastructure Costs Are So High in Canada’s Remote Regions

Remoteness significantly increases construction and maintenance costs in Canada’s northern regions.

Limited access routes restrict the movement of materials, equipment, and crews, while long transport distances for aggregates and construction inputs drive up both upfront and operational costs. Short construction windows further compound financial risk, as delays caused by weather or logistics can quickly escalate project budgets.

Unreinforced “traditional” infrastructure designs often rely on large material volumes to compensate for weak or variable subgrades. In remote regions, moisture-sensitive soils such as silts and muskeg require thicker structural layers, increasing material demand without necessarily improving long-term performance. Freeze–thaw cycles accelerate degradation, leading to rutting, deformation, and more frequent maintenance interventions over the asset lifecycle, based on Transport Canada – Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative.

Climate change is also reducing the reliability of winter roads, which many northern communities depend on for seasonal access. Shorter winter road seasons increase reliance on costly alternatives such as air transport or extended supply routes. When infrastructure failures occur in remote communities, the impacts are both economic and social, affecting access to essential goods, services, and connectivity.

Source: Indigenous Services Canada – Winter Roads Funding and Climate Impacts.

Engineering Objectives for Reducing Infrastructure Costs

Before introducing specific solutions, engineers focus on defining objectives that balance cost efficiency with durability, safety and service life. Reducing cost must not compromise structural performance, particularly in remote regions where access for maintenance is limited.

Three key engineering objectives guide cost reduction strategies. The first is reducing dependence on imported construction materials by enabling the use of locally available or marginal materials. The second is improving the performance of weak or climate-sensitive subgrades to limit deformation and structural degradation. The third objective is extending service life to reduce long-term maintenance and replacement costs. Together, these objectives focus on improving structural efficiency and long-term performance, particularly in remote and climate-exposed locations where access for maintenance is limited.

Lowest upfront cost rarely delivers the lowest lifetime cost. Structural efficiency and material optimisation are central to resilience in remote infrastructure projects, therefore ground engineering solutions that provide repeatable performance and support lower lifecycle cost outcomes are essential where reactive maintenance is expensive and disruptive.

Source: Transportation Association of Canada – Pavement Asset Design and Management Guide

How Neoloy Geocells Reduce Construction and Lifecycle Costs

A geocell is a three-dimensional cellular confinement system designed to stabilise infill materials. By confining granular fill, restricting lateral movement, and distributing loads more efficiently, geocells improve structural behaviour over weak or variable soils.

In remote Canadian conditions, this mechanism delivers immediate and long-term cost benefits. Reduced aggregate haulage lowers construction costs, while improved load transfer limits rutting, deformation, and maintenance frequency. These benefits are particularly relevant for low-volume roads, access routes, airstrip bases, and working platforms commonly found in remote regions, where access constraints and climate exposure make lifecycle performance a critical design consideration.

From an engineering perspective, geocells enhance stiffness and deformation control without relying on excessive material thickness. This makes them well suited to environments where logistics, climate exposure, and subgrade variability drive lifecycle costs. Source: PRS – Roads and Pavements Applications

Why PRS Neoloy ® Tough-Cells Support Cost-Efficient Canadian Infrastructure

Neoloy® Tough-Cells from PRS Geo-Technologies are a polymeric alloy geocell engineered for long-term structural reinforcement in all kinds of infrastructure environments. The unique and proven Neoloy® material is designed to deliver the highest stiffness with the longest-term stability, making it the most suitable geocell solution for transportation infrastructure subjected to sustained and cyclic loading.

A critical unique performance advantage of Neoloy® Tough-Cells is their lowest deformation level (according to ASTM D6992 and additional global standards) while enables the use of locally available materials as infill. In roads, industrial access routes, and rail foundations, maintaining confinement efficiency over time is essential to preserve structural performance under repeated traffic loads. Neoloy enables reinforced base layers to perform reliably throughout their design life.

These characteristics directly address Canadian infrastructure challenges. By reducing reliance on thick imported aggregate layers, Neoloy ® Tough-Cells support cost-efficient construction in remote locations. Neoloy proven performance under heavy freight, industrial, and resource-sector traffic enables infrastructure designs and solutions that align with both engineering requirements and budget constraints, in all weather conditions and locations.

Sources: Inforce Global – Paved Roads, Neoloy® Technology Key Properties, PRS Pavement Reinforcement

Supporting PRS Engineering References: All-Weather Installation and Performance in Remote Regions, Pavement and Base Reinforcement Engineering Data.

Practical Application of Geocells in Remote Canadian Infrastructure Projects

A geocell-reinforced structure consists of a prepared subgrade, a Neoloy® Tough-Cells confinement layer with locally sourced or marginal granular infill, and a finished surface appropriate to the route classification. Proper drainage design is essential to preserve subgrade strength and ensure long-term performance.

These systems are well suited to remote community access roads, mining and industrial haul roads, seasonal and all-weather supply routes, airstrips, railways and heavy-load platforms. As reflected in projects supported by Transport Canada and design guidance published by the Transportation Association of Canada, by combining sound ground engineering with climate-aware design, Neoloy® supports national priorities focused on resilient and cost-aware northern infrastructure.

A practical example of this approach can be seen in Neoloy® applications in Churchill, Canada, where geocell reinforcement has been used to support infrastructure under remote and climate-challenged conditions (Click here to read more).

Conclusion – Using Geocells to Control Infrastructure Costs in Remote Canada

High infrastructure costs in remote Canada are structural and long-term. Addressing them requires engineering efficiency rather than reduced performance. Geocell reinforcement offers a practical means to reduce material usage, improve durability, and lower lifecycle costs.

PRS Neoloy® Tough-Cells provide a proven solution for delivering cost-efficient infrastructure in Canada’s most challenging regions, supporting resilient design, reduced maintenance, and long-term value aligned with national infrastructure objectives.