ABSTRACT
The recent catastrophes in the French states Aude in November 1999 and Gard in September 2002 clearly highlighted the great vulnerability of railway and road embankments to undermining of foundations, and internal and surficial erosion. The surface and internal erosion do not always lead directly to failure of the structures, but may do so by reducing its overall stability under the working load and water flow. Combinations of these phenomena, if they last long enough may lead to breaching the embankment. It should be recognised that unlikemodern dams, the internal structure of these road and rail embankments and some old dikes dating from the French renaissance were not designed with filters and surface erosion protection.
