Bridge abutments made of geotextile-reinforced soil have been shown to support the bridge
load without the use of piles. However, current design procedures are considered to be
conservative. To determine the strength, and to understand better the behavior of reinforced
soil, large unconfined cylindrical soil samples reinforced with geosynthetics were
axisymmetrically loaded. Samples were 2.5 ft (0.76 m) in diameter and 5 ft (1.52 m) in height.
Peak strengths of 4.8 kips/ft2 (230 kPa) to 9.6 kips/ft2 (460 kPa) at 3% to 8.5% vertical strain …

ABSTRACT A MSE wall is inexpensive and is fairly easy to construct since it doesn't require
skilled labor to lay out alternate layers of soil and reinforcement or perform compaction. This
technology can be utilized in bridge abutments by constructing shallow footings directly on
top of the wall to support bridge girders, instead of using piles through the abutment. By
designing the abutment to carry the load, piles can be eliminated, generating savings in
construction time and money. Moreover, since bridge resting on piles results in a bump at …