BRIDGE APPROACHES ON SOFT CLAY SUPPORTED BY EMBANKMENT PILES

Differential settlements commonly develop between a bridge and its approaches at sites underlain by compressible subsoil deposits. Anticipating such settlements at bridge sites along a highway north of Bangkok, Thailand, the approaches were partly supported by embankment piles. In addition, approach slabs resting on a floating abutment in the embankment fill were included in the design. Six years after the highway completion, despite settlements of the embankment of the order of one-half metre, the pile supported approaches still provide a smooth transition between the bridges and the road. /Author/TRRL/