Development of Concrete Bridges in the Czech Republic

Reinforced concrete bridges, the arch bridges in particular, which were built even in the first half of the 20th century exhibited a reasonably good safety and durability provided good quality materials were used. Fast development of the technology of prestressed concrete suffered from some deficiencies due to a limited knowledge and experience with the material behaviour and with the technology itself. However, the contemporary prestressed structures may be considered as safe and durable, since mainly the protection of prestressing units improved significantly. Design criteria also changed and requirements on robustness should avoid severe damages in case of failure of a single element.