Fabric reinforced embankment test section Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

This paper describes the results of an instrumented high strength woven geotextile fabric reinforced levee test section that was designed and constructed utilizing some of the latest procedures practiced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The levee test section was instrumented with settlement plates, slope inclinometers, and piezometers. Resistive potentiometers and strain gages were attached to the embedded fabric. The purpose of the test section was to determine the technical feasibility, construction practicality, and the economic feasibility of geotextile reinforced levees for future projects in the Corps of Engineers New Orleans District involving very soft, highly compressible foundations. The strains and loads measured on the fabric were within the range of values estimated during design. The first six months of the test section's performance has been successful. From the test section, it is anticipated that significant cost savings will be realized when reinforced levees are utilized.