TRAINING PROGRAM FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED GUIDELINES FOR SEISMIC DESIGN AND RETROFITTING OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES

This paper describes the training program sponsored by the National Highway Institute (NHI) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to implement the latest technology in seismic design and retrofitting of highway bridges on a national basis. This training program includes the development of training materials, presentation of two pilot workshops and the presentation of several 4 1/2 day workshops. The workshops are divided into lecture sessions and class assignments. The class assignments focus on practical applications. Although the workshop does not include computers the class assignments include input coding and output results from computer programs typically needed for seismic design and analysis. The primary objectives of the workshops are to train bridge engineers to use the American Association of the State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide Specifications for Design of Highway Bridges and to introduce bridge designers to the procedures for retrofitting bridges as described in the FHWA publication Seismic Retrofitting Guidelines for Highway Bridges. The AASHTO Guide Specifications for Design are currently being incorporated into the AASHTO Standard Specifications for 1991. Basic principles of seismology, structural dynamics and foundation modelling are presented. These basic principles are combined with current recommendations in the guidelines and the state-of-practice to give the practicing bridge engineer the knowledge required to design and retrofit bridges.