Integral Abutment Bridges: The European Way

Abstract

Integral abutment bridges are becoming more popular in Europe, but the traditions differ from country to country. This leads to different technical solutions for the same problem in each country. A European survey was conducted in early 2007 to illustrate the design criteria used by each different country for integral abutment bridges. The survey requested information useful to a designer comparing the design requirements and restrictions of various European countries. As an added measure of comparison, these results were compared to some recently conducted surveys of state agencies within the United States. When looking at the results of the European survey responses and past surveys of U.S. transportation agencies, it is clear that there are many similarities in design assumptions and construction practices. Yet, there are also significant differences.