In large areas of The Netherlands, the subsoil has little supporting power. As a consequence, soil settlements will occur when widening roads and railways, not only of the widened portion themselves, but also of the existing road structure. In its Programme of Requirements, the management of such infrastructures will indicate which maximum vertical and horizontal settlements and which maximum deformations of the existing road structure it finds acceptable. Subsequently, both the designer and the contractor must meet these requirements. It is therefore essential to gain insight into the nature of these settlements, and into the soil improvement techniques that may be considered useful for the work in question. In this way, expenditure of time and energy calculating variants, which ultimately prove to be prospect less, is avoided. The manual has been set up specifically for this purpose and consists of two parts: Section 1: Design charts; and Section 2: Points of interest in the design of fills.
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