Design and Construction of a Honduran Replacement Bridge

This article describes the design and construction of a Honduran replacement bridge. The Megaplaza Interchange comprises two 131-foot-long (40 m) single-span bridges in an eastern suburb of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The bridges are part of a north-south, secondary-circulating, main thoroughfare and were built to overpass a major roadway. The authors describe the use of precast, prestressed concrete girders to construct the bridges over the span. The design used precast concrete folded-plate abutments. These girders, made from 9000 psi (62 MPa) compressive strength concrete and each weighing 68 tons (62 Mg), require only a transport truck and two cranes for erection. The authors report on the girder geometry used, in which deformation and cracking are minimized. In addition, diaphragms, deck panels, curbs, and barriers were all made of precast concrete, significantly reducing time of construction. The article includes plans, drawings, and full-color photographs of the project.