Performance Assessment of Jointless Abutments in Virginia

About the project:

Since the early 1980’s, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has been developing, evaluating, modifying, and incorporating bridge abutments that eliminate deck joints. More than 35 years later, VDOT’s Structure and Bridge Division has asked the Virginia Transportation Research Council to assess the performance of the various jointless abutments by visiting a representative sample of bridges constructed with these abutment and approach types. The goal of this project will be to assess the effect of various geometrical parameters on the long-term performance of various jointless abutments. This study may serve as the first in a potentially multi-phase effort that, ultimately, could expand the number of new bridges that can be constructed using more economical jointless abutments and approaches that also lead to lower life-cycle costs and fewer disruptions to the traveling public.

Project Team

Principal Investigators

Co-Principal Investigators