Integral abutment bridges: Australian and US practice

The use of integral abutment bridges is not widespread in Australia where climatic conditions are relatively benign. However there are a number of examples of integral abutment bridges, and their design and the typical Australian practice is illustrated along with a particular case study. Integral abutment bridges are more widespread in the USA, and have been used for many years. The frequent use of integral abutments and their reported good performance has led to a number of US Departments of Transportation developing standard details and design guidelines. The performance of integral abutment bridges in the US is described by reference to the literature and in particular to surveys of US Departments of Transportation. The typical limits on bridge length, skew and thermal ranges are indicated, based on the average practice of the departments. Particular design issues are discussed based on past performance of integral bridges in Australia and US practice. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E211602.