Title | Monitoring of First “Bridge-in-a-Backpack” Bridge in Massachusetts |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Authors | Quinn BH, Civjan SA, Lahovich A, Breña SF, Elnahal S |
Conference Name | Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting |
Pagination | 16p |
Date Published | 01/2013 |
Publisher | Transportation Research Board |
Conference Location | Washington, D.C. |
Accession Number | 01473466 |
Other Numbers | Paper #13-3221 |
Keywords | Bridges and other structures, Construction, Highways, I30: Materials, I53: Construction of Bridges and Retaining Walls, Materials |
Abstract | An innovative “Bridge-in-a-Backpack” bridge was constructed in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The system, developed at the University of Maine, uses newly implemented technology of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes filled with concrete to reduce construction time and cost, reduce maintenance costs, and increase lifespan of the structure. The bridge is unique in that it has a 30 degree skew and shallower arch geometry than other bridges of this type that have been constructed. Massachusetts Department of Transportation, collaborating with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, instrumented the bridge with a total of 99 gages (strain gages, pressure cells, tiltmeters, displacement transducers, and convergence gages). This paper discusses the bridge response under construction loads, static live load testing, and the first eleven months of long-term monitoring, to report on the observed performance of this innovative bridge. |