Half-joint, deck hinge and post-tensioned concrete bridges: risk management and assessment

Abstract

The documents for risk management and assessment of concrete bridges with half-joints, concrete bridges with deck hinges and post-tensioned concrete bridges in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) have been rewritten and updated as part of a project to update the entire DMRB suite of documents; they have also been given the new document codes CS 465, CS 466 and CS 467. In bringing these documents up to date there have been significant technical changes introduced, including: a change to the risk management process for half-joints and deck hinges; an update of assessment methods for evaluating half-joints and deck hinges; and improvements to the risk management of post-tensioned bridges. This technical paper outlines the technical background to the key changes and highlights some of the improvements and efficiencies that can be delivered using the new documents.