<p>This study evaluates the performance of soft clay treated with lime columns under embankment loading, with particular emphasis on the effects of column configuration and steel reinforcement. A series of finite element analyses was carried out to investigate the influence of key design parameters, including column spacing, length, and reinforcement ratio. The numerical model was validated against two independent case studies from the literature, showing strong agreement with both field measurements and previous simulations. Results indicate that incorporating steel reinforcement into lime columns can reduce the embankment settlement by 9.1% for closely spaced columns and up to 41.2% for widely spaced ones, compared to unreinforced columns. Optimal performance was observed with steel reinforcement ratios between 1% and 2%, beyond which further improvements were marginal, indicating a practical upper limit of 2% for cost-effective design. Moreover, steel reinforcement had negligible impact on the generation and dissipation of excess pore water pressure, highlighting its primary role in enhancing structural stability rather than drainage. These findings provide valuable guidance for optimizing lime column design, balancing performance and cost in soft clay ground improvement projects.</p>