Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Historic Metal Truss Bridges: Survey of Literatur and Current Practices

This report documents the results of a survey of current practices and technology for the evaluation and rehabilitation of historic metal truss bridges. It is intended to aid engineers in identifying solutions to typical problems found in older metal truss bridges, including inadequate strength, damage, deterioration, and inadequate height and width. This study included a literature search as well as a survey of Departments of Transportation. The literature search yielded approximately 150 documents related to the evaluation and rehabilitation of metal truss bridges, which are cataloged in this report in the form of an Annotated Bibliography. The survey of DOTs was sent to 60 agencies to solicit information on current engineering trends in addressing problems associated with historic metal truss bridges. Thirty-nine responses were received and complied. The results of the literature search and the DOT survey are reported and combined in a broad summary and synthesis of topics related to historic metal truss bridges.