A new precast concrete bridge/culvert system is described. The system is particularly suitable for a roadway crossing over a waterway, where the span is relatively short (20 to 60 ft), and the clearance between the high water level and roadway surface is greater than 6 ft. The system can be built quickly by most contractors, making itan attractive alternative for replacement of many of the nation's deficient secondary road bridges and culverts. It consists of precastconcrete folded-plate elements supported on ledges of end walls, which are in turn supported on drilled piers. Variations of this basicsystem are possible to suit other span ranges and crossing geometries. The system is extremely efficient as its components use available space to increase structural cross section depth and to reduce dead loads that would otherwise be heavy. Other benefits are offered bythis new system, including short construction time, economy, and ease of construction. The new system is compared with an existing system; a cost analysis demonstrates potential savings as high as 20% over the traditional system. Plans are under way to construct a full-scale functional prototype in eastern nebraska. This paper appears intransportation research record no. 1291, Fifth international conference on low-volume roads, may 19-23, 1991, raleigh, north carolina, volume 1.
Abstract