July 29, 2014 1:00 pm
by Carmen Swanwick P.E., Chief Structural Engineer, Utah Department of Transportation.
Description: Components of ABC bridges are prefabricated in controlled environments that lead to improved material quality and workmanship relative to field-constructed bridges. While these prefabricated components may compose the majority of an ABC bridge, field-cast closure joints connecting prefabricated elements may not have the same quality due to weather and other site constraints during placement, and ABC bridges typically have additional joint locations relative to field-constructed bridges. Similarly, ABC bridge span systems slid into place or positioned with self-propelled modular transporters have dynamic effects during the moves that site-constructed bridges do not experience. How do the differences between traditional bridges and ABC bridges affect performance? The Utah Department of Transportation is in a good position to answer that question. UDOT has constructed more than a hundred ABC bridges and has recently completed an inspection of those bridges. This presentation will describe Utah’s ABC bridge construction and performance relative to their site-constructed bridges.