Ten Top Projects for 1988
The other Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement nominees make up an impressive collection of projects. They are notable for innovative management techniques, state-of-the-art engineering...
Seismic Damage and Retrofit of Bridges in California
Since 1971, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has retrofitted about 1300 bridges to improve their seismic resistance. CALTRANS has investigated 13 earthquakes since...
Tied Arch Substitute
When the Minnesota DOT decided to build a new bridge to replace St. Paul's historic High Bridge over the Mississippi, a citizen's advisory group insisted that...
The Williamsburg: Rehab After All
Whether to repair or replace the Williamsburg Bridge has been seriously debated in New York City for years. Recently, a blue ribbon panel of technical advisors appointed by the Mayor conducted...
Brighter Future for Stay Cables
Corrosion problems on cable stayed bridges can be prevented, according to several engineers who responsed to Cables in Trouble, a Civil Engineering article that appeared in the April 1988...
Weathering Steel: Industry's Stepchild
Improper location and poor detailing are two reasons why some weathering steel bridges are not living up to their early promise. That was the consensus reached during a July 1988 forum...
Recycling Bridges
Faced with the statistics showing that more than half of our bridges have fallen into a state of disrepair, bridge engineers have coined a phrase from the lexicon of conservationists to...
Program to Reduce Deicing Chemical Usage
Over the years (since about 1948), the dependency on deicing chemicals has been increased to provide 'bare pavement' for safe and efficient winter transportation....
AASHTO Design Concepts
The AASHO Road Test of 1958-60 grew out of a need to quantify the effects of increasingly heavier axle and gross loads and varying wheel load configurations on the performance of this...
What Will Happen to Local Rural Roads and Bridges
Much of the local rural road and bridge system was not designed for the heavy trucks and farm equipment that are currently using the system. The system will continue to deteriorate unless...
Building Bridges the Old Way
Cast-in-place concrete bridges built on falsework, particularly post-tensioned box girders, are California's dominant structure type. Factors which have led to the popularity...
Effects on Infrastructure
Effects on the transportation and communications infrastructure due to the earthquakes of September 19 and 20 are described and analyzed. It can be concluded that these effects were actually...
Bridge Design By 1-2-3
MULTBEAM, a Lotus 1-2-3 template, can be used to analyze simple-span, multigirder steel highway bridge superstructures. Since it was developed for in house use by Sverdrup Corp., this...
Steel Boxes Carry Rail Lines
Steel box girders plus novel bearing details led to beautiful curved bridges carrying Chicago Transit Authority trains into its Howard Yard. During preliminary design three alternative...
Infrastructure
Repairs and Inspection
Rehabilitation of a structure in general requires considerations of unique methods of inspection and repair. Since the structures have to remain in service while the repairs are done,...
Building Over the Golden Gate
Charles Seim discusses the struggles of the original bridge advocates to garner support for the Golden Gate Bridge, an idea which originally met with a considerable amount of public opposition....
Golden Gate Bridge Improvements
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District engineer talks about improvements made to the Golden Gate Bridge since opening day. Improvements covered include: wind bracing,...
Historic Bridges: Conflict Ahead
The engineer who deals with historic bridges becomes the focus of controversy in the course of determining the existing condition, predicting remaining useful life, and designing the repair...
Water Jets: Concrete Yes, Tunneling Maybe
High pressure water jets are demolishing concrete from bridge and parking decks, faster and at lower cost than by traditional means. The technique is fast becoming an acceptable option....
Automating Bridge Design
To avoid some of the pitfalls of manual design calculations, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas engineers designing a series of bridges for a $280 million section of the New...
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