Rapid Construction of Bridge Bents with Precast Concrete

Bridge construction can dramatically increase traffic delays and congestion, particularly in urban areas with heavy traffic volumes. Traffic disruption could be reduced significantly if reinforced concrete columns and cross-beams could be precast offsite, and then rapidly assembled together at the bridge site. Such systems have been used successfully to construct bridges in states with low seismic activity (e.g., Texas), but the systems used in those states are not suitable for the level of seismicity in Western Washington State. To take advantage of the benefits of using precast components in bridges in Washington State, it is necessary to develop precast concrete systems that can be constructed quickly and that have good seismic performance. The objective of the proposed second phase of the research is to develop connection details and design procedures for several bridge bent systems, and to confirm by physical testing the structural performance of the three most promising ones, both under (non-seismic) erection loads with partially completed connections and under simulated seismic loading after the connections are complete.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $200000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  T4118-05

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Willoughby, Kim

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Washington, Seattle

  Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
  201 More Hall, Box 352700
  Seattle, WA  United States  98195-2700

  University of Washington, Seattle

  Washington State Transportation Center
  1107 NE 45th Street
  Seattle, WA  United States  98105
• Principal Investigators:

  Stanton, John

• Start Date: 20060201
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 12452

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bents; Bridge design; Columns; Construction; Precast concrete; Reinforced concrete; Research projects; Seismicity; Traffic delays; Traffic volume
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Geotechnology; Marine Transportation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I30: Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01458330
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Washington State Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: T4118-05
• Files: RiP, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 12:40PM