Short to Medium Span Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridges in Japan

Nearly 40 years have elapsed since precast, prestressed concrete was first introduced to the Japanese construction industry. During this period, precast, prestressed members have been utilized mainly in bridge systems. The need for prefabricated bridges has resulted from field labor shortages in Japan. The high quality of precast, prestressed concrete makes it the material of choice for short to medium span bridges. The objective of this paper is to present the Japanese state-of-the-art of design and construction using precast, prestressed concrete girders for bridges with spans ranging from 5 to 40 m (16 to 131 ft). Four national standard girders and one regional standard girder are presented. Also included are details of diaphragms, deck bearing, bearing devices, and seismic resistant systems. Comparisons are made between Japanese and equivalent American systems relative to such factors as weight of precast members, amount of cast-in-place concrete, unit cost and design load capacity.