Retrofitting TxDOT Prestressed Box Beams with Composite Cast In Place Concrete Deck

The research team will develop and evaluate retrofit strategies for existing Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) prestressed box beam bridges by integrating a composite, cast-in-place concrete deck. Numerous such bridges, constructed without a concrete deck, exhibit longitudinal cracking, leakage, and maintenance challenges. Retrofitting with a composite deck will address these issues while improving structural performance, facilitating bridge widening, and increasing service life. The research team will include a literature review, cost comparisons, and preliminary analytical modeling to assess retrofit feasibility. Experimental testing will be conducted to evaluate retrofit techniques including doweled stirrups, surface roughening with a saturated surface dry (SSD) substrate, and other appropriate retrofit designs that improve shear key-deck/overlay composite action. Full-scale testing and numerical analyses will validate the structural behavior of the retrofitted system. The research team will provide TxDOT with detailed design recommendations, including analysis methods and design details for implementation. The expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for this project is 8.

• Record URL:
  • https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/project=0-7238

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $1,299,043.00
• Contract Numbers:

  0-7238

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Managing Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Project Managers:

  Adediwura, Jade

• Performing Organizations:

  Center for Transportation Research

  3925 W. Braker Lane
  Austin, TX  United States  78759
• Principal Investigators:

  Bayrak, Oguzhan

• Start Date: 20250901
• Expected Completion Date: 20280831
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Box beams; Bridge decks; Cast in place concrete; Composite construction; Feasibility analysis; Prestressed concrete bridges; Retrofitting; Service life
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01964068
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 0-7238
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 26 2025 12:32PM