Improving the state-of-the-art for the design and
construction of steel bridges brought 30 representatives from States, industry,
and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) together in December 2003 for an
inaugural partnership meeting at FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
in McLean, Virginia. "The main focus of the meeting was to get participants'
ideas on how we can improve the design and construction of steel bridges, and
the input received was very valuable," says Vasant Mistry of FHWA. The
partnership is now paying dividends as participants collaborate on such
activities as preparing a new design handbook.
Topics covered at the 1-day meeting included technology and
research needs, technology transfer, high-performance steel (HPS), load and
resistance factor design, corrosion protection, nondestructive testing, and
steel bridge fabrication and erection.
|
| Innovative new steel bridges include the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston, MA. |
|
| The Mingo Creek Viaduct in Washington County, PA |
The need for further education for bridge engineers and
designers emerged as a predominant theme at the meeting. To help bridge
engineers better do their job, participants advocated for the development of a
new design handbook for steel bridges that would cover everything from A to Z.
FHWA is collaborating with the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) to make
this goal a reality, and work on the new guide is underway. To further the
collaborative effort, "we want to get specialists across the country involved
in reviewing chapters of the new guide," says Mistry. The guide is expected to
be available in 2006.
Meeting participants stressed the importance of accelerating
bridge construction through such methods as prefabrication. Prefabricated
bridge elements, ranging from small components such as deck panels to large
spans, can be manufactured either on- or off-site, under controlled conditions,
and brought to the construction location ready for installation. Using
prefabricated elements can increase construction zone safety, minimize the
traffic impacts of bridge construction projects, and improve constructibility.
It can also reduce construction time from years to a matter of months or even
days. To learn more about prefabricated bridge elements and systems, visit
www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/prefab/. More information about accelerated bridge
construction technologies is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/accelerated/.
Participants also discussed technology transfer and research
needs for HPS. Stronger and tougher than conventional steel, HPS also offers
greater resistance to cracking. Although 42 States are now using HPS for
bridges, participants noted that many still view HPS as experimental and that
its use needs to be more widely publicized. To aid in technology transfer, a variety
of material on HPS is now available on FHWA's Web site
(www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/hps.htm), including a designer's guide, technical
advisories, and information on welding and standards details/best practices.
FHWA is planning to hold a second partnership meeting later
this year. "Attendees felt that the meeting was a very important start and that
it was vital to keep the dialogue and the effort continuing," says Mistry.
"Everyone agreed to work together more closely," noted Conn Abnee of NSBA. "The
meeting was also useful in disseminating new ideas and techniques. There is
particularly strong interest in the forthcoming new design handbook."
To learn more about the partnership meeting or steel bridge
technologies, contact Vasant Mistry at FHWA, 202-366-4599 (email:
vasant.mistry@fhwa.dot.gov).
Emerging technologies will be the focus at the 2004 FHWA
Steel Bridge Conference, to be held December 16–17 in San Antonio, Texas.
Workshop sessions will particularly emphasize high-performance steel (HPS) and
accelerated bridge construction, with such featured topics as the material
characteristics of HPS, future plans for development of HPS, innovative methods
for reducing construction time, and in-service inspection issues of bridges
built with accelerated construction methods. Numerous case studies will also be
featured. Three pre-conference workshops will be held on December 15:
-
Steel
Bridge Design Workshop: Using 2004 AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specification
-
Accelerated
Bridge Construction Workshop
-
Curved
I-Girder Bridge Design Workshop.
|
