Re-decking a Bridge With Precast Concrete

Re-decking a 1627-ft deck girder bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with precast concrete slabs allowed the bridge to remain partially open to traffice during the entire construction period without interfering with setting concrete. Advantages of this method also include enhanced safety due to absence of dangerous field work normally involved with installing forms for cast-in-place concrete, and quicker construction time. Complete construction procedure is described, with attention to problems of controlling relative motion between adjacent slabs. Final cost of this method was comparable to that for cast-in-place. Case histories of similar, although smaller-scale projects are included.