Accelerated Bridge Construction

The purpose of this paper is to discuss rising construction costs due to traffic control. Since so many bridges now need repair, these rising costs are an increasing problem. Increased traffic and urban congestion demand outside-the-box thinking to accelerate construction and therefore cut costs and delays. One of these new innovative methods is the use of prefabricated bridge elements. Systems companies are encouraging prefabrication technology because of the many advantages for bridge owners, engineers, builders, and the traveling public. There many advantages of pre-cast elements: (1) they can minimize traffic impacts; (2) pre-cast contractors can perform time-consuming formwork assembly; and (3) pre-cast pieces are more constructible because the offsite work reduces time onsite. Safety improves because prefabrication reduces the exposure time for workers and the public who travel through construction zones. Shipment of pre-cast components to the job site reduces impacts on the environment and prefabricating takes elements and systems out of the critical path of a project schedule. Pre-cast fabricators can produce quality components or systems in a controlled plant environment in much less time than is required on site. Improved quality translates to lower life-cycle costs and longer service life.