Strengthening of masonry arch bridges with near-surface reinforcement: A case study

The rehabilitation of a single span clay brick arch highway bridge is described. The bridge, which dates from 1798, is located in Southern England and spans an inland waterway. Operational constraints and the historic importance of the bridge required the use of a minimum intervention, minimum disruption form of strengthening. Near-surface reinforcement was chosen to meet these requirements. This paper describes the design philosophy and the installation of the longitudinal, transverse and inter-ring dowel reinforcement.