Structure & Bridge Division

INTRODUCTION

Bridge Construction Best Practices is a toolbox and resource for bridge engineers, bridge construction engineers and inspectors, and construction managers. It provides references to manuals, presentations, videos and photos that can be used as tools and informational guidance to improve the quality of bridge design and construction performed for VDOT. The reference manuals, presentations, and videos can be used as self-study to develop and increase the knowledge and skills of bridge design and construction inspection personnel to properly inspect bridge construction to ensure and improve quality and to ensure statewide uniformity. The documents are informational purposes only. Structure and Bridge Division, Construction Division, and Materials Division Manuals govern over the documents when there are differences from VDOT requirements.

The Bridge Construction Best Practices consists of Introduction and the following eight (8) major Parts:

Part 1. Bridge Construction Best Practices – Virginia
Part 2. Bridge Construction Best Practices – Other States
Part 3. Bridge Construction Inspection check Lists
Part 4. Accelerated Bridge Construction
Part 5. Tunnel Construction
Part 6. Ancillary Structures
Part 7. Construction Quality Issues
Part 8. Bridge Construction Inspection Training/Certification

Each of the Parts have Sections which can have Subsections. The Sections or Subsections may have manuals, presentations, videos or photos referenced. As an aid to the reader, abstracts are provided for the manuals summarizing important points of the manual. For videos, a brief description is provided for the video if the video title is not sufficient to describe the video contents. For PowerPoint Presentations the title is typically provided for the subsection that it provides without additional description of the contents. Any photos will have a description. PowerPoint Presentations from two training courses developed for bridge construction inspectors have been referenced and linked for informational purposes for the bridge associated topic.

Part 1 - Bridge Construction Best Practices – Virginia is broken down into the following ten (10) Sections:

Section 1. Subsurface
Section 2. Causeways and Cofferdams
Section 3. Substructure
Section 4. Superstructure
Section 5. Bridge Materials
Section 6. Bridge Preservation
Section 7. Culverts
Section 8. Bridge Demolition
Section 9. Different Types of Walls Associated with Bridges
Section 10. Miscellaneous Structural Elements on Bridges

Part 2 – Bridge Construction Best Practices – Other States. Best Practices will be added that provide relevant information and efforts that other states are doing to promote construction best practices. This information can be manuals, presentations, videos, check lists or photos and will be added as obtained. The Minnesota DOT and Florida DOT have significant programs to promote construction quality.

Section 1. Minnesota (MN) DOT
Subsection 1. Bridge construction Inspection Training Program.
Bridge Construction Manual
Two week Bridge Construction Inspection Training Course
Sample Plans Used for the Training Course
Recertification Manual

Section 2. Florida (FL) DOT
Section 3. XXX DOT

Part 3 - Bridge Construction Inspection Check Lists. Check lists will provide guidance to bridge inspectors to ensure that the requirements of the Bridge Plans and the Road and Bridge Specifications are addressed by the inspectors. Part 3 includes the following Sections (9) and Subsections to cover the following major construction areas:

Section 1. Foundations
Section 2. Pile Foundations
Section 3. Drilled Shaft Foundations

Section 4. Steel Construction
Subsection 1. Erection of Structural Steel
Subsection 2. High Strength Bolting
Subsection 3. Field Welding
Subsection 4. Heat straightening
Subsection 5. Painting structural steel

Section 5. Concrete Construction
Subsection 1. Handling – Placing – Finishing and Curing of Concrete
Subsection 2. Falsework

Section 6. Prestressed Concrete Construction
Subsection 1. Erection of Prestressed Concrete Girders

Section 7. Bridge Deck Inspection
Subsection 1. Checklist Concrete Deck

Section 8. Bearings

Section 9. Preservation
Subsection 1. Check Points Concrete Deck Patching
Subsection 2. Check Points concrete Substructure & Concrete Beam End Repair

Section 10. Walls Associated with Bridges
Subsection 1. MSE Wall Shop Drawing Review Checklist
Subsection 2. MSE Wall Construction Inspection Checklist

Section 11. Miscellaneous

Part 4 - Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC)
ABC is bridge construction that uses innovative planning, design, materials, and construction methods in a safe and cost-effective manner to reduce the onsite construction time that occurs when building new bridges or replacing and rehabilitating existing bridges. The Part 4 includes general information, S&B Division requirements, FHWA, SHRP2 and other guidance documents covering the major areas of ABC of Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems, Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, Slide-in Bridge Construction, and Incremental Launching and ABC presentations. The Part 4 includes the following Sections (6) and Subsections:

Part 4 - Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC)
Section 1. General.
Section 2. S&B Division Requirements.
Section 3. FHWA Guidance.

Subsection 1. FHWA ABC Program.
Subsection 2. Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT).
Subsection 3. Highways for LIFE (HfL).
Subsection 4. FHWA Center for Accelerating Innovation (CAI)
Subsection 5. FHWA Reports, Presentations, and Videos on major components of
Accelerated Bridge Construction.

Framework for Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) Decision-Making. Prefabricated Bridge Elements & Systems
Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs)
Slide-in Bridge Construction

Incremental Launching for ABC

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS).
Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) Connections for Prefabricated Bridge Elements.

Section 4. Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Solutions.
Subsection 1. Tools for the Road Ahead.
Subsection 2. Fact Sheet on SHRP2 Solutions.
Subsection 3. R04 SRRP2 Info Sheet. Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal (R04).
Subsection 4. Report. Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal (R04). SHRP2 Report
S2-R04-RR-1. Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal (R04).
Subsection 5. Report. Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal (R04) – ABC Toolkit
Subsection 6. R04 Videos.

Section 5. PP Presentations and Videos used in ABC Workshops, HfL Showcases,
EDC-1 Regional Summits, EDC Industry Presentations for LTAP
Subsection 1. Illinois I-270 ABC Workshop. April 2009.
Subsection 2. Prefabricated Bridge Elements VDOT Workshop. May 2009.
Subsection 3. Highway for LIFE Ben Sawyer Bridge Showcase. April 28, 2010.
Subsection 4. Every Day Counts (EDC) Regional Summits. October – December 2010 (ABC)
Subsection 5. EDC Industry Presentations for LTAP. February 2011. Five presentations:
concrete, construction industry, FRP, lightweight concrete, and steel.
Subsection 6. Accelerating Bridge Construction with Prefabricated Bridge Elements &
Systems (PBES). 2011.
Subsection 7. Utah ABC Workshop. 3-27-2011.

Section 6. Organizations Promoting ABC Methods and Technologies and
Other ABC Documents
Subsection 1. History of ABC Implementation in U.S.
Subsection 2. Florida International University (FIU) Accelerated Bridge
Construction-University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)

Part 5 - Tunnel Construction. Part 5 includes the following Sections:
Section 1. General
Section 2. FHWA Guidance Documents
Section 3. Other Documents

Part 6 - Ancillary Structures. Part 6 includes the following Sections:
Section 1. General
Section 2. Traffic Engineering Division Requirements
Section 3. S&B Division Requirements
Section 4. FHWA Guidance Documents
Section 5. PP Presentations
Section 6. Other Documents

Part 7 - Construction Quality Issues. Part 7 includes the following Sections:
Section 1. General
Section 2. PP Presentations
Section 3. Photos
Section 4. Other Documents

Part 8 - Bridge Construction Inspection Training/Certification. The goals is to provide bridge construction inspectors training for them to develop the knowledge and skills to properly inspect bridge construction to ensure and improve quality, ensure statewide uniformity, and establish minimum competencies for bridge construction inspection personnel. The training will provide bridge construction inspectors with the basic tools and resources needed for effective bridge construction inspection.

Construction Division and Structure and Bridge Division developed the Construction Inspectors Training Course (CITBC) that is being taught by the Community College Workforce Alliance for VDOT and industry. Staunton District Structure and Bridge and other Staunton District Sections developed the Bridge Construction Inspection School (BCIS). The agendas and the all the training modules for the CITBC and the BCIS can be found in Section 2, Subsections 1 & 2, respectively.

There are eight (8) major sources of training and the Industry Offered Training has eight (8) industries identified. Part 8 includes the following Sections and Subsections:

Section 1. General

Section 2. Sources of Training
Subsection 1.   Community College Workforce Alliance: Construction Inspectors
Training Course (CITBC)
Subsection 2. Staunton District: Bridge Construction Inspection School (BCIS) 2018.
Subsection 3. NHI Courses
Subsection 4. AASHTO TC3
Subsection 5. NICET
Subsection 6. FHWA Resource Center
Subsection 7. UVA Transportation Training Academy (UVA TTA)
Subsection 8. Industry Offered Training. The following eight industries offer training/certification relevant to bridge construction: Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC), National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), Lincoln Electric, American Welding Society (AWS), American Concrete Institute (ACI), Post-tensioning Institute (PTI) and American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI).

Page last modified: April 16, 2021