A series of saline soil-related problems, including salt expansion and collapse, frost heave and thaw settlement, threaten the safety of the road traffic and the built infrastructure in cold regions. This article presents a comprehensive review of the physical and mechanical properties, salt migration mechanisms of saline soil in cold environment, and the counter-measures in practice. It is organized as follows:(1) The basic physical characteristics;(2) The strength criteria and con-stitutive models;(3) Water and salt migration characteristics and mechanisms;and (4) Countermeasures of frost heave and salt expansion. The review provides a holistic perspective for recent progress in the strength characteristics, mecha-nisms of frost heave and salt expansion, engineering countermeasures of saline soil in cold regions. Future research is pro-posed on issues such as the effects of salt erosion on concrete and salt corrosion of metal under the joint action of evapora-tion and freeze-thaw cycles.