Land Reclamation and Settlement of Reclaimed Land for New Ports

Materials dredged from seabed and construction waste soils have been used for land reclamation for the development of sea ports in Singapore. Ground improvement employing surcharge and flexible drains are employed to accelerate the ground settlement. This article first examines the characterization of the inhomogeneous fill ground before ground improvement. It then evaluates the gain in soil strength and observed settlement of the reclaimed land after ground improvement. By comparing the soil properties before and after ground improvement, it is established that soil strength measurement is the most reliable mean to evaluate the effectiveness of the adopted ground improvement scheme. Other soil test data such as pre-consolidation pressure and moisture content do not provide convincing evidence. For the observed ground settlement during ground improvement, it is found necessary to interpret the settlement data with proper consideration including height of surcharge at various locations and the presence of surcharge and construction activities nearby.