ABSTRACT
The East Coast Expressway (Phase 2) is 190 km long and when completed, will connect Jabur Interchange to Kuala Terengganu. Ground treatment works were instituted where the highway passes through swampy ground and soft alluvial, in particular where high fill embankments were constructed. The objectives are to ensure embankment stability and restrict settlements to within acceptable limits. Several types of ground improvement techniques were implemented such as vertical drains and surcharging; vibro sand and stone columns and dynamic replacement. Typically, treatment depth ranged from 4 to 16 m depth. This paper describes the design and construction of the ground improvement methods including quality control measures and insitu tests. The embankments were instrumented and monitored during construction to ensure performance was according to design requirements.
Keywords:Embankment; soft ground; ground improvement; prefabricated vertical drain; vibro stone columns; vibro sand columns; dynamic replacement.
