When faced with designing a complex interchange, problems with vertical and horizontal clearances between roadways and overhead bridges often occur. the steel pier cap has been a frequently used solution to this problem. it is not uncommon to find one or more steel caps supporting a bridge superstructure at an interchange. however, due to the difficulty of traffic control and access, hands-on inspections of these pier caps are performed infrequently. the ohio department of transportation realized this problem and in 1989 authorized burgess & niple, limited (b&n) to inspect 24 bridges with steel pier caps. the bridges are located in cincinnati, columbus, and dayton, aswell as other small municipalities and rural locations within ohio.a total of 58 caps were inspected that have dimensions up to 14 ft deep and 110 ft long. forty-four of these caps are boxes and 14 are girders. results of the inspections are presented in this paper. this paper appears in transportation research record no. 1290, third bridge engineering conference, march 10-13, 1991, denver, colorado, volume 1.
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