Overview and applications of precast, prestressed concrete adjacent box-beam bridges in South Korea

Some of the international perspective on the topic of precast, prestressed concrete box-beam bridges are discussed. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and PCI provide preliminary information for precast, prestressed concrete box beams for use in the bridge construction. Precast, prestressed concrete box-beam bridges have a shallow superstructure depth and are easy to construct. The system's three major components include precast, prestressed concrete box beams, longitudinal shear-key joints filled with cast-in-place concrete between adjacent beams, and sufficient transverse post-tensioning concentrated in the diaphragms for structural integrity. The structural performance of precast, prestressed concrete box-beam bridges is affected by the transverse connections of adjacent box beams. It is believed that shear keys filled with cast-in-place concrete and transverse post-tensioned connections should be used to eliminate cracking in the joints.