SHORT SPAN STEEL BRIDGE ALLIANCE AND WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COLLABORATE TO PUBLISH STANDARD PLANS FOR SHORT SPAN STEEL BRIDGES

WASHINGTON, DC – The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) and West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) teamed up to develop and publish standard bridge plans for composite rolled beam girders and composite plate girders.  The plans will allow owners and engineers to cut project costs and save time since they will not need to design the steel girders. The recently published plans include cross-sections, span configuration, loadings, and state-specific practices for West Virginia and various details. They are for bridges with spans under 140 feet.

“The standard plans, developed by the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, will greatly enhance our ability to specify steel bridges for future short span projects,” said Joseph Neeley, district one design section head at the West Virginia Department of Transportation. “With over 7,000 bridges to maintain in West Virginia, we anticipate that these plans will help to create a more cost-effective and efficient infrastructure system within our state.”

The plans were developed by Karl Barth, Ph.D., co-director of the SSSBA Bridge Technology Center and associate professor at West Virginia University and Gregory Michaelson, Ph.D., P.E., co-director of the SSSBA Bridge Technology Center and associate dean and professor at Marshall University, in a collaborative effort with the West Virginia Department of Transportation.

Dan Snyder, SSSBA director and vice president, construction program for the American Iron and Steel Institute commented: “We provide this complimentary service to state DOTs interested in developing state-specific standard bridge plans that conform to both AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and owner-specified criteria. This service is available to states across the nation.”

He noted that the SSSBA has developed standards for the Ohio DOT and is currently working on plans for New York and Tennessee. He anticipates more states taking advantage of the complimentary service as funding for off-system bridges becomes available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and demand increases for resilient, cost-effective short span bridge solutions.

More information on SSSBA’s complimentary service is available by downloading the document “Automated Production of Robust Owner-Specific Steel Bridge Design Details.” Additional information on the WVDOT plans is available here.  

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is a group of bridge and buried soil steel structure industry leaders who have joined together to provide educational information on the design and construction of short span steel bridges in installations up to 140 feet in length. For more news or information, visit www.shortspansteelbridges.org or follow us on Twitter (@ShortSpanSteel), Facebook and LinkedIn.