Abstract Dredged soils often have very high moisture content and exhibit poor engineering properties. This article presents experimental results to assess index properties and strength development of lightly cemented soils with very high moisture content over time. A key objective was to show that very-high-moisture soils can be stabilized with low dosages of portland-limestone cement (PLC) or ordinary portland cement (OPC) and still achieve useful properties for some beneficial reuse applications. Key factors separating this effort from past efforts are the use of lower cement dosages and comparisons between traditionally used OPC and a more sustainable alternative (PLC). Dredged soils were collected from two disposal facilities near the ports of Memphis, Tennessee, and Mobile, Alabama. Mixtures were prepared at two levels of moisture content with two cement types and three levels of cement content. Results showed soils stabilized at 10 % cement meet the target unconfined compressive strength for low ground pressure construction applications (>140 kPa). Findings supported the position that lightly cemented soils with very high moisture, especially with PLC, are sustainable and can achieve suitable properties for some applications.