Standardized Manufacturable Steel Orthotropic Decks for Urban Bridges

Prefabricated modular steel orthotropic deck panels can provide effective solution for accelerated construction of bridges in constrained urban landscape. These welded steel decks are ideal manufacturable products incorporating repeated details that are amenable to automated fabrication. Based on the lessons learnt from service performance of these decks and the knowledgebase from significant research performed over the years, a standard deck design is proposed, which can be easily integrated as a prefabricated modular deck for rapid and economic construction of short and medium span steel girder and stringer bridges both for new construction and rehabilitation. This deck design effectively addresses the challenges to wide spread implementation of steel orthotropic decks for medium and short span bridges, providing a life-cycle cost-effective solution for urban bridge infrastructure.