ABSTRACT
Rush hour traffic is a common daily occurrence in the USA. Highway and bridge construction further aggravates the situation. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Departments of Transportation in several states and other agencies are looking for ways to expedite construction schedules to shorten or eliminate rush hour traffic conditions during construction. The Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) effectively addresses this issue.
Reduced disruption to traffic due to faster construction, enhanced safety due to reduced exposure of workers to construction activities, better quality control with the use of offsite component fabrication, reduced environmental issues due to fewer on-site construction activities, and lower costs are some of the major advantages of ABC.
In bridge construction, a significant amount of time and effort is spent on the construction of bridge substructure elements such as abutments and piers. Therefore, the selection of appropriate substructure types along with proper design and construction technique are essential for ABC. This paper will present the design and construction of precast concrete abutments, integral abutments and mechanically stabilized earth wall abutments, along with precast concrete wall piers, bent type piers, hammerheads, and straddle bents generally used in ABC. The presentation will also include the design and construction of precast concrete, post-tensioned segmental hammerhead piers, two column bents, straddle bents, and wall piers. Case studies involving the use of these various bridge substructure options in several ABC Projects in USA will be presented.
