Measured Behavior of a Curved Precast Segmental Concrete Bridge Erected by Balanced Cantilevering

A five-span continuous precast segmental horizontally curved concrete bridge erected in balanced cantilever was part of the US Highway 183 interchange with Interstate Highway 35 in Austin, Texas, was instrumented with concrete strain gauge devices, thermocouples, and tilt meters. The response of the structure was studied during erection, during live louds test, and under the actions of daily applied thermal gradients that occured over a period of nine months. Measured data are presented and compared with calculated values. The measured dataare also used to evaluate design specifications in current highway bridge codes. Observations of the construction process and comments regarding improvements in design and in the efficiency of the construction methods used to build the bridge are also presented. Recommendations are made concerning bridge design specification and construction practices.