Abstract
The paper presents a prototype knowledge-based system for the selection of bridge foundations which aims to support the decision process on the subject at the planning and preliminary design stages. The knowledge content of the system encompasses a broad range of factors that are commonly considered by decision makers. As most of the knowledge relating to the impact of these factors on bridge foundations is heuristic in nature, the implementation of a knowledge-based system in this domain appears to be a suitable and feasible approach to take. The principal conclusion of the paper is that a knowledge-based approach is viable for the problem of bridge foundation selection and preliminary design.