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This guide was issued to provide guidelines for the construction of the geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS). Refer to Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System Interim Implementation Guide for GRS-IBS design and construction guidelines.

This executive summary gives an overview of the results of FHWA Contract DTFH61-92-C-00112, Seismic Research Program, which performed a series of special studies addressing the seismic design of new construction. The objectives of this project were to perform a series of special studies pertaining to the seismic vulnerability of highway structures and to develop technical information on which future specifications for the seismic design of bridges could be based.

This fact sheet provides an example of how an old bridge was strengthened rather than replaced Saline County, Kansas.

Bridge Replacement Innovations

These Standard Specifications for the Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects are issued primarily for constructing roads and bridges on Federal Highway Projects under the direct administration of the Federal Highway Administration.

n an age of technological advances, the ability to monitor the performance of bridge foundations has evolved such that both short- and long-term data acquisition of embedded gauges is not only available but also cost-effective. Case studies have documented that show the merits of using embedded gauges and low-cost data collection systems to provide increased quality assurance during construction as well as a means to monitor the health of the foundations while in service.

The goal of this research is to enhance the understanding of the mechanics of steel culverts and the impact that this common corrective maintenance action has on the structural integrity of the steel culvert.

Prediction of pressure-flow (vertical contraction) scour underneath a partially or fully submerged bridge superstructure in an extreme flood event is crucial for bridge safety. An experimentally and numerically calibrated formulation is developed for the maximum clear water scour depth in non-cohesive bed materials under different approach flow and superstructure inundation conditions. The theoretical foundation of the scour model is the conservation of mass for water combined with the quantification of the flow separation zone under the bridge deck superstructure. In addition to physical experimental data, particle image velocimetry measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulations are used to validate assumptions used in the derivation of the scour model and to calibrate parameters describing the separation zone thickness. With the calibrated model for the separation zone thickness, the effective flow depth (contracted flow depth) in the bridge opening can be obtained. The maximum scour depth is calculated by identifying the total bridge opening that creates conditions such that the average velocity in the opening, including the scour depth, is equal to the critical velocity of the bed material. Data from previous studies by Arneson and Abt and Umbrell et al. are combined with new data collected as part of this study to develop and test the proposed formulation.

This article discusses the technologies available for replacing or rehabilitating corroded or damaged pipes in roadways, which can be classified as trench and trenchless technologies.

Shows what to check on a bridge after an incident that might compromise the integrity of the bridge.

Several Iowa counties have implemented various techniques to strengthen/repair damaged timber abutments and piers in bridges on low-volume roads (LVRs). However, there is minimal data documenting the effectiveness of these techniques. To address the research needs, current maintenance and rehabilitation methods were evaluated and tested in the field and laboratory.

By taking a proactive role in managing culverts, States are preserving their investment in the transportation infrastructure and providing a safer roadway for the traveling public. Maryland, Minnesota, Alabama, and Shelby County (located in Alabama) use different methods to manage their culverts. This study explores their methods and offers information to agencies seeking new approaches to culvert management.

The report documents the state of the art with regard to the research, development, and deployment of UHPC components within the U.S. highway transportation infrastructure. More than 600 technical articles and reports covering research and applications using UHPC have been published in English in the last 20 years, with many more published in other languages. The report includes information about materials and production, mechanical properties, structural design, and structural testing, durability and durability testing, and actual and potential applications. The report concludes with recommendations for the future direction for UHPC applications in the United States.

An underdrain is designed to collect subsurface water before it saturates the road surface or the road ditch. By intercepting springs and groundwater, underdrains can help to dry and stabilize the road base, road ditches, and banks that would otherwise be softened by emerging springs and seeps. Underdrains also help to reduce erosive surface flow in the road ditch and prevent subsurface water from mixing with sediment-laden surface runoff. The clean water collected by an underdrain can be directed to a stable outlet location separate from road surface drainage.

Bridge inspections often pose logistical challenges to efficiently and effectively inspect a wide variety of structure types; therefore, inspection by UAS is a solution that can be safe and cost-effective. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Collins Engineers have been researching the use of UASs as a tool for bridge inspections in a multi-phase project. This phase of the study research identified potential applications of UAS technology to aid in bridge inspections and is a continuation of a previous study by the MnDOT.

This study explores many concerns recently raised for drilled shaft design, construction, and maintenance. Conclusions and recommendations offer engineers more information for a better understanding of drilled shaft foundations to revolutionize foundation design, concrete mix design, construction techniques, NDE measurement, and defect evaluation, to improve performance and efficiency.

A computerized process of determining fatigue cracks using video, designed by Dr. Jian Li, has the potential to improve the accuracy and speed of performing bridge inspections. By automating the process, there is also the possibility of lowering inspection costs. The method involves taking a short video stream of a structure in a crack-prone area under repetitive loading and processing the video through a computer. According to Dr. Li, the method can also be used in other applications, such as detecting localized slippage or the loosening of structural components.

This webinar is geared toward Nebraska Local Public Agencies & the Nebraska Department of Transportation Employees. This Webinar demonstrates the initial link in the overall supply chain – allowing the soybeans and grain produced on a farm to be eventually consumed by both domestic and international customers. Of the bridges in the country classified as deficient and, in many cases, subject to closures or restricted access, a significant percentage are located in rural areas. “Our nation’s rural bridges serve as the initial step in a long journey to the ultimate customer,” explains Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC). “Unfortunately, the region of the country in which bridge conditions are most severe – rural areas – also happens to be the region in which available funding to improve these conditions is stagnant or on the decline.

This article will highlight a proactive and systematic way Saline County, Kansas, has been addressing the practical, economic and political considerations of closing bridges.