Appraisal of strengthening cost for increasing flexural strength of reinforced concrete slab bridges in Thailand

Abstract

The highway live loadings, HS20-44, stipulated by Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are different from Thai truck weights according to government gazettes issued by Department of Highways. This article aimed to study the strengthening costs of the bridges due to Thai trucks. The reinforced concrete solid slab bridges with the span length ranging from 5 to 10 meters were selected to study. It was found that the bridge responses due to Thai trucks were greater than those from AASHTO loads. The average strengthening costs were approximately 6,958 Baht/sq.m and highest at 7 m-span length. The results of this study would be a reference data to create an alternative plan for bridge strengthening in Thailand in order to sustain the bridge safety level recommended by AASHTO. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.