Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 47-03. Current Practices and Guidelines for the Reuse of Bridge Foundations

As demands for infrastructure continue to change and with bridge components deteriorating over time, bridge widening, rehabilitation, and replacement efforts will continue to increase. Depending on site conditions, bridge foundations typically comprise approximately 30 percent or more of the total highway bridge costs. Decisions on whether to reuse, retrofit, or replace existing foundations have a significant impact on the project budget. Reuse of bridge foundations may result in time savings, improved highway safety, and reduced traffic congestion. However, to consider a foundation for reuse, the integrity and capacity (structural and geotechnical) of the existing foundation elements must be reliably determined. The primary concerns with reusing existing bridge foundations are the ability to accurately assess their condition, load carrying capacity, and remaining service life, and the impacts on design codes. Procedures used to evaluate whether foundation reuse is viable for a particular bridge project differ among transportation agencies. A synthesis on current practices for foundation reuse in highway applications is timely as transportation agencies are facing this question more and more on bridge projects. The objective of this synthesis is to document current practices and guidelines used by state transportation agencies for the reuse of bridge foundations. The synthesis will identify strategies and methods that agencies have used to solve problems, as well as identify problems that remain largely unsolved. Information for this study will be gathered through literature review, a survey of state departments of transportation (DOTs), and follow-up interviews with agencies for case examples of their practices. Lessons learned, gaps in information, and suggestions for future research will be included.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3955
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $45000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-05, Topic

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

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

  American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 225
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Gause, Jo

• Start Date: 20150701
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 39639

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bearing capacity; Best practices; Bridge foundations; Costs; Deterioration; Rehabilitation; Retrofitting; Service life
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01562866
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-05, Topic
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 13 2015 1:00AM