ABSTRACT
The durability of concrete bridges in service life depends on a large number of parameters. First of all in the design stage a particular attention must be paid to the stress and strain patterns in service life in order to avoid concrete cracking or excessive deformations due to time-dependent phenomena (creep, shrinkage, steel relaxation). The construction methods involved, the chosen materials, the environmental conditions, the bridge management and maintenance are all elements which contribute to the definition of the technical service life and influence the durability of the structure. An example of a multi-span concrete slab bridge, 29 meters wide and resting on central piers, placed in a very aggressive area is here presented to make possible evaluations on the durability of this kind of structures and to have knowledge of the durability problems encountered in similar conditions for prestressed concrete bridges.
