517-432-8220 ncpp@egr.msu.edu

A Programmatic Approach to Long-Term Bridge Preventive Maintenance

State transportation agencies use cost-effective preventive maintenance (PM) programs to preserve existing roadway systems, slow down their deterioration, and improve their functional condition. Currently, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC’s) bridge inventory includes approximately 10,000 structures, and by 2018, most of these structures will have been in use for at least 50 years. Because there is insufficient funding available to…

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American Society of Civil Engineers — Report on America’s Infrastructure

The American Society of Civil Engineers has given America’s Infrastructure an overall score of D+ in its 2017 Report.  Roads and bridges were given scores of D and C+ respectively.  Read the Full Report

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Current Practices and Guidelines for the Reuse of Bridge Foundations

  TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has released a pre-publication, non-edited version of Synthesis 505: Current Practices and Guidelines for the Reuse of Bridge Foundations. A sustainable option for many bridge replacement and rehabilitation efforts is reusing bridge foundations, which can result in time and cost savings as well as reduced mobility impacts and environmental benefits. However,…

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Development of Guidelines for Transportation of Long Prestressed Concrete Girders

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has released a report that investigates the behavior of two long prestressed concrete girders during lifting and transportation from the precast yard to the bridge site, with a particular focus on cracking concerns during transport. Read the Report

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Post-Extreme Event Damage Assessment and Response for Highway Bridges

  TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 497: Post-Extreme Event Damage Assessment and Response for Highway Bridges reviews the procedures that state departments of transportation and two local authorities, New York City and Los Angeles County, use to assess the damage in bridges in response to extreme events and conduct emergency response activities. Extreme events include those…

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RFP: Update of the AASHTO LRFD Movable Highway Bridge Design Specifications

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a reliability-based methodology to design electrical, mechanical, and traffic/marine safety elements and systems for movable highway bridges in order to propose revisions to the AASHTO LRFD Movable Highway Bridge Design Specifications. Proposals are due February 7, 2017. Read the RFP

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Development of an Intrinsically Conducting Polymer-Based Low-Cost, Heavy-Duty, and Environmentally-Friendly Coating System for Corrosion Protection of Structural Steels

  TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Report 157: Development of an Intrinsically Conducting Polymer-Based Low-Cost, Heavy-Duty, and Environmentally-Friendly Coating System for Corrosion Protection of Structural Steels explores the use of Intrinsically Conducting Polymer for developing a more cost-effective, heavy-duty, and environmentally-friendly two-layer coating system to replace the conventional zinc-rich three-coat system for…

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RFP: Proposed AASHTO Bridge Guidelines for Use of ASTM A1010 Steel

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop proposed AASHTO LRFD bridge design guidelines for hybrid bridge of A709 and ASTM A1010 steel and develop guidelines for hybrid superstructure fabrication. Proposals are due February 1, 2017. Project: Project Information Read the RFP

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Maryland Gov. Hogan Announces $765M Plan to Replace US301 Bridge Over Potomac

AASHTO Journal, 02 December 2016 Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan unveiled a $765 million plan to replace an aging, two-lane toll bridge spanning the Potomac River on US 301 with a four-lane structure from Charles County in the state’s southeast to King George County, Va. Hogan made the announcement Nov. 21 while standing at the base of the 75-year-old Harry…

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Structures

  TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2592 consists of 18 papers that explore transportation structures, including: Evaluation of AASHTO Suggested Design Values for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers Under Vehicle Collisions Practical Implementation of Stability Bracing Strength and Stiffness Guidelines for Steel I-Girder Bridges Structural Redundancy of Prestressed Concrete Box Girder Bridges Design of…

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RFP: Design and Construction of Deck Bulb Tee Girder Bridges with UHPC

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to propose draft AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications for design and construction of DBT girder bridges using UHPC for connection. Proposals are due January 31, 2017. Project: Project Information Project Number: 18-18 Read the RFP

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Economic Impact of Multi-Span, Prestressed Concrete Girder Bridges Designed as Simple Span versus Continuous Span

The Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University has released a report that compares the economic impact of designing pre-tensioned prestressed concrete beam bridges utilizing the continuity developed in the bridge deck versus the Iowa Department of Transportation’s method of utilizing standardized spans treated as simply supported. Read the Report

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Investigation of Shear Distribution Factors in Prestressed Concrete Girder Bridges

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released a report that investigates the accuracy of existing shear distribution factors, which are used to estimate bridge system live load effects on individual girders, and provide recommendations on shear distribution to be used in Minnesota. Read the Report

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Evaluation of Bridge Decks Using Non-Destructive Evaluation at Near Highway Speeds for Effective Asset Management

The Michigan Department of Transportation has released a report that discusses a pilot project pertaining to the detection, quantification, and visualization of bridge deck distresses through the use of remote sensing techniques. The report can be downloaded in three separate parts. Read the Report

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Purdue engineering professor developing open-ended pipe pile for bridge construction

Better Roads, 28 September 2016 Kerry Clines     These open-ended pipe piles, about 100-feet long and two feet in diameter, will be used to test a type of bridge pile often seen in offshore applications, research that could help reduce the cost of bridge building or replacement of aging spans. Purdue University photo/Erin Easterling)   Rod Salgado, a…

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Arizona DOT Eyes November Opening of Bridge Over Yuma Area’s Fortuna Wash

AASHTO Journal, 30 September 2016 Arizona drivers who have been anticipating a new bridge to carry US 95 traffic over flood-prone Fortuna Wash near Yuma don’t have much longer to wait. The state Department of Transportation said the bridge that will end rain delays there should begin taking traffic by the end of November. ADOT said final work should…

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Mackinac Bridge (Michigan) to test sensor technology

MSU Today, 20 September 2016 Contact(s): Tom Oswald , Nizar Lajnef , Patricia Mroczek Some engineering professors had an idea to monitor bridges with sensors powered with the vibrations generated by traffic. Those professors, including one from Michigan State University, think they have mastered the technology. But they needed a real-world platform to try it out. And that’s why…

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