Segmental bridge
 |
|
| Ancestor | Box girder bridge |
|---|---|
| Related | Precast Segmental Bridge |
| Carries | Traffic |
| Span range | Long |
| Material | Concrete |
| Movable | No |
| Design effort | High |
| Falsework required | Yes |
As its name implies, a segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections (called segments), i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections. The bridge is made of concrete that is either cast-in-place (constructed fully in its final location) or precast concrete (built at another location and then transported to their final location for placement in the full structure).
These bridges are very economical for long spans (over 100 meters), especially when access to the construction site is restricted. They are also chosen for their aesthetic appeal.
The first segmental concrete bridge, built in 1950, was cast-in-place across the Lahn River in Balduinstein, Germany.
The first precast segmental concrete bridge, built in 1962, crossed the Seine River in France.
The sequence of construction is similar to traditional concrete bridge building, i.e., build the support towers (columns), build the temporary falsework, build the deck, perform finish work. The principal differences are as follows:
...
Wikipedia