HPC and Innovative Design Ensure Long-Term Durability

This paper describes how experience has shown that bridges with continuous beams and rigid frame abutments exhibit better long-term durability than bridges with leakage-prone roadway joints. Thus, when the existing Great Road Bridge (State Route 119) over the Boston & Maine Railroad in Littleton, MA, required replacement, every attempt was made to eliminate these joints. Building a cast-in-place structure was not feasible since the falsework would reduce the existing railroad clearances. The Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) decided to use “emulation design” to replicate cast-in-place concrete construction with precast, prestressed concrete beams and precast concrete abutment panels.

• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Concrete Bridge Council

  Portland Cement Association, 5420 Old Orchard Road
  Skokie, IL  United States  60077-1083
• Authors:
  • Bardow, Alexander K
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: 1p
• Monograph Title: HPC Bridge Views
• Serial:
  • HPC Bridge Views
  • Issue Number: Issues 1-38
  • Publisher: National Concrete Bridge Council
  • Serial URL: http://www.hpcbridgeviews.org

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge abutments; Bridge design; Cast in place concrete; Concrete structures; Durability; High performance concrete; Innovation; Precast concrete; Technological innovations
• Geographic Terms: Massachusetts
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01110899
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 24 2008 10:38AM