U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
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| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-13-101 Date: November 2013 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-13-101 Date: November 2013 |
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Bridge owners face the potential problem of not being able to characterize the foundations of bridges over dry land and waterways (for example, not knowing the integrity and the depth of the piles). This information is critical in their decisionmaking process for determining whether they can rely on the existing foundation to withstand geo/hydraulic hazards for an additional 25, 50, 75, or 100 years of service as they may consider a major bridge rehabilitation, replacement, reuse, or widening of a bridge.
In 2013, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved a new research program for the characterization of bridge foundations. To narrow the focus of the program and to solicit key stakeholder input, a workshop on “Characterization of Bridge Foundations” was held in Arlington, VA, from April 30 to May 1, 2013. The cross-discipline workshop involved key staff from the FHWA hydraulics, geotechnical and structural disciplines brainstorming with stakeholders in separate breakout sessions. This report presents an overview and documents the results and conclusions of the workshop. The knowledge gained from the workshop will be considered by FHWA as it develops a multi-year Research and Development strategic plan and a roadmap for the new Characterization of Bridge Foundations program.
Jorge E. Pagán-Ortiz
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development
Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
Quality Assurance Statement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Technical Report Documentation Page
| 1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-13-101 |
2. Government Accession No. | 3 Recipient's Catalog No. | ||
| 4. Title and Subtitle
Characterization of Bridge Foundations Workshop Report |
5. Report Date November 2013 |
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| 6. Performing Organization Code | ||||
| 7. Author(s)
Vernon R. Schaefer* and Frank Jalinoos** |
8. Performing Organization Report No.
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9. Performing Organization Name and Address *Iowa State University |
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) |
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| 11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-11-D-00010 |
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| 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Office of Infrastructure Research and Development |
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Workshop Report, 2013 |
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14. Sponsoring Agency Code
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| 15. Supplementary Notes | ||||
| 16. Abstract
In 2013, the Federal Highway Administration proposed a new research program for the characterization of bridge foundations. To narrow the focus and develop a research roadmap for the program, a workshop on “Characterization of Bridge Foundations” was held in Arlington, VA, from April 30 to May 1, 2013, to solicit key stakeholder input. The workshop opened with plenary sessions to provide the invited participants with a national perspective on the issue; summaries of geotechnical and hydraulic hazards; and, the impact of changes in service loads and foundations reuse. The plenary sessions were followed by breakout sessions. This report presents an overview and documents the results and conclusions of the workshop. |
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| 17. Key Words
Unknown Foundation, Foundation Reuse, Foundation Integrity, Substructure, Geotech |
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 |
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19. Security Classification
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20. Security Classification
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21. No. of Pages 66 |
22. Price | |
| Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) | Reproduction of completed page authorized |
SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors
SUMMARY OF THE FIRST PLENARY SESSION: FEDERAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS—NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
SUMMARY OF THE SECOND PLENARY SESSION: GEOTECHNICAL & HYDRAULIC HAZARDS AND IMPACTS
SUMMARY OF THE THIRD PLENARY SESSION: CHANGES IN SERVICE LOADS AND FOUNDATION REUSE
BREAKOUT SESSION I: GEO/HYDRAULIC HAZARDS AND IMPACTS
BREAKOUT SESSION II: CHANGES IN SERVICE LOAD AND FOUNDATION REUSE
SUMMARY OF THE FINAL PLENARY SESSION: RECOMMENDATONS
APPENDIX C—WHITE PAPER ON THE UNKNOWN FOUNDATION PROBLEM
