The solution for scattering by a layer of densely distributed infinite cylinders is presented. The layer is irradiated by an arbitrarily polarized plane wave that propagates in the plane perpendicular to the axes of the cylinders. The theoretical formulation utilized the effective field and quasi-crystalline approximation to treat the multiple scattering interactions in the dense finite medium. Governing equations for the propagation constants and amplitudes of the effective fields are derived for $TM$ and $TE$ mode incident waves, from which the scattered intensity distribution and scattering cross section for arbitrary polarization are obtained. The dense medium gives rise to coherent and incoherent scattered radiation that propagates in the plane normal to the axes of the cylinders. The coherent scattered radiation includes the forward component in the direction of the incident wave and the backward component in the direction of specular reflection. The incoherent scattered intensity distribution shows a pronounced forward peak that coincides with the angle of refraction of the effective waves inside the medium. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the scattering characteristics of a dense layer of cylinders as a function of layer thickness for a given solid volume fraction.