The Influence of Pavement Construction on Embankment Settlement in Highway Extension Project

In order to reduce the soft soil layer deformation due to pavement construction, equal preloading of pavement is usually adopted after embankment filling in soft ground region. But as the ground treatment effect of pile-supported and geosynthetic reinforced embankment is satisfactory with great load-carrying ability, the necessity of applying equal preload is worth discussing. Combined with the practice of Guangzhou-Sanshui expressway widening project, the settlements in surveying sections during the paving construction period in extension area were monitored. The monitoring data shows that pavement load had small influence on embankment settlement: the uneven settlement between newly widen and existing road is small and the post-construction settlements are controlled within the standard requirement. On the premise of guaranteeing the construction quality of composite-foundation and filling compaction degree, it is unnecessary to take equal preloading to avoid excessive embankment settlement caused by the pavement structure.