Integral abutment bridge design and construction

Abstract

Highway agencies have been plagued with problems related to bridge expansion joints. The extent of the problem is such that many highway agencies cannot meet the maintenance demand. Many agencies, however, have managed to bypass the use of deck expansion joints by allowing thermal loads to be transferred elsewhere. In this study, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine the extent of this practice and to identify the various jointless bridge concepts currently in use. The review was supplemented by survey questionnaires sent to selected highway agencies in the US and abroad. It was learned that 28 states in the US and several foreign highway agencies are building long, multiple span highway bridges without expansion joints. The predominate method used by these highway agencies is the integral abutment concept. This study presents the various jointless bridge concepts and examines the wide scale feasibility of each.