Horizontal reinforcement solutions are generally used in pavement engineering to prevent or delay the sudden damage of adjacent roads caused by collapse of cavities induced by vehicle loads and ground water

and to provide an early warning. This kind of approach is extensively adopted in many countries

but load transfer mechanisms and characteristics of the interfaces between the geosynthetics and soils are not yet fully understood. This study presents an review of the state of the art for the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment overlying voids. The mechanical mechanisms (e.g. sliding surfaces of the embankment fills

arching theory

membrane effect

soil expansion over the geosynthetics

friction in anchorage areas and reduction of tensions in the transition areas) are mainly introduced. The comparisons and shortcomings of the design methods are also discussed. To improve the design methods

the several mechanical behaviors of prior literatures need to be further investigated: load transfer mechanisms

delayed deformation and collapse due to the geosythetics

settlement calculation

ultimate bearing capacity and stability of the embankment subjected to localized voids. The load distributions have not been revealed

the exiting design methods are overly conservative. A set of recommendations and insights is presented for further researches.