Geosynthetic reinforced levee test section on soft normally consolidated clays

Reinforced levee test sections have been constructed and monitored in southern Louisiana since the late 1980s. Although the results of these test sections indicated that the anticipated stresses were never realized by the geosynthetic reinforcement, each test section has provided the geotechnical industry with some very important information about the effectiveness of using geosynthetic reinforcement. The most important information acquired from these previous test sections was the fact that the foundation soils experienced significant gains in shear strength due to the more uniform consolidation of the soft foundation material during and immediately following embankment construction. The New Orleans District of the US Army Corps of Engineers (NOD) is researching the viability of a new design methodology that would adequately account for these gains in shear strength resulting from consolidation. This new methodology was derived via the results from the NOD's latest geosynthetic reinforced levee, discussed herein.