County Bridges in Ohio

This paper describes how many bridges in the USA are designed and maintained by city and county engineers. These bridges must meet the same strength, serviceability, and durability requirements as state-owned bridges. County engineers, like their state counterparts, have found that high performance concrete (HPC) can be beneficial for both strength and durability. In Ohio, HPC has been used for state-owned bridges for almost a decade. In the early 1990s, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) created an HPC specification for bridge deck concrete. In 1997, ODOT installed their first HPC precast, prestressed concrete bridge as part of the Federal Highway Administration Showcase program. This bridge superstructure consisted of adjacent box girders. Availability of 10,000 psi (69 MPa) compressive strength HPC enabled the span of the Ohio B42-48 section [42 in. deep by 48 in. wide (1.07 m by 1.22 m)] to be extended to 116 ft (35.4 m).