Construction of Prestressed Concrete Single-Tee Bridge Superstructures

About the report:

This report discusses in detail the construction of the first five precast, prestressed concrete, single-tee beam bridge superstructures to be let to contract in Virginia. The data suggest that this single-tee beam enables efficient construction of the superstructures of bridges in the short-span range, because the contractor can move from the bridge seat stage of construction to the forms-in-place stage by erecting tee beams mass produced at a fabricating plant. Using a 45-ton (4 x 104 kg) crane, several men can erect, connect, and overlay the tee beams at the rate of about one 42 ft. x 44 ft. (12.6 m x 13.2 m) span per week. With the addition of precast parapets, superstructure form work at the bridge site is almost eliminated. On-site construction time for the single-tee superstructure is controlled primarily by the time required for the site-cast concrete used in the diaphragms, overlays, and backwalls to attain the design strength. Single-tee bridge construction should be continued in a manner consistent with the conclusions of this report. Some additional research is recommended.

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