Spliced Segmental Prestressed Concrete 1-Beams for Shelby Creek Bridge

Abstract

The Shelby Creek Bridge is a five-span, high-level highway bridge nearly 1000 ft (305 m) long over a narrow valley in mountainous eastern Kentucky. Equal length prestressed concrete I-beams were spliced together in a unique design that eliminated costly falsework and provided full-length continuity over end spans of 162 ft 3 in. (49.5 m) and three equal interior spans of 218 ft 6 in. (66.6 m). Stay-in-place, precast, prestressed concrete deck panels eliminated most on-site forming and helped to speed up construction of the deck. The segmental prestressed concrete I-beam design was bid against two alternate steel designs and was $417,000 less than the continuous composite welded plate girder alternate and $2 million less than the originally designed steel delta frame girded bridge.