ABSTRACT
Before the advent of segmental construction, concrete bridges would often be made of several precast girders placed side by side, with joints between girders being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bridge. In 1980, precast segmental construction was applied to the Long Key and Seven Mile Bridges in the Florida Keys in the United States. Balanced cantilever segmental construction for concrete box-girder bridges has long been recognized as one of the most efficient methods of building bridges without the need for falsework. The choice of material depends upon many factors and load conditions; it should be remembered that concrete is an excellent material for cable-stayed structures, because of its properties in resisting compression and its mass and damping characteristics in resisting aerodynamic vibrations. Precast segmental bridges become economically feasible for relatively large bridges where the cost associated with setting up a casting yard can be offset by the speed of casting segments and the speed of erection.
