The construction of embankments on soft soils is a technically feasible option and has been adopted frequently by geotechnical engineering, as it reduces environmental impacts because it doesn´t involve the exploration of deposits and areas for depositing excavated materials. With the advancement of technologies and the availability of different materials, it is possible to keep soft soils on the foundations of the constructions since that some characteristics of these soils are observed and corrected, especially with regard to high deformabilities and the low bearing capacity. To this end, geosynthetics - and geogrids in particular - have been successfully used as reinforcements in embankments where there is presence of soft soils.

This paper discusses the use of geogrids in infrastructure reinforcement works, where the presence of soft soils is a challenge for the definition of a road layout and for its economic viability. The method adopted in the present study consists on development of some numerical modeling using geotechnical specific softwares, simulating the execution of compacted embankments on clayey soil of low consistency, with and without the presence of geogrids, and studying the influence of the number of reinforcing layers, following the specifications of British Standard BS 8006/2010 - Code of practice for strengthened / reinforced soils and other fills, given the lack of Brazilian Standards on this subject. The results obtained corroborate previous studies already developed and published by others technical groups and also bring new knowledge for a better optimization of the engineering projects, with the adoption of solutions that minimize the deadlines and the costs of the works without, however, impact on the safety and in the schedule of the execution and operation phases of road works.