ABSTRACT
A new type of bridge called “Butterfly Web Bridge” has been constructed in Japan. In a butterfly web bridge, the panels used as the web are cut so as to appear pinched in the centre, giving a butterfly-wing shape. 80MPa steel fibre reinforced concrete is used for the butterfly shaped web made of precast panels with a thickness of 150 mm. In this paper, three projects of expressway bridges using this new technology will be shown. By simplified construction process, construction time can be reduced. Then possibility of much longer concrete bridges with butterfly webs will be proposed in the last part of this paper. The butterfly web technology will greatly affect bridge design and construction in the near future.
