Chapter Two: Investigation for Bridges

1. Introduction
2. Site selection
3. Site investigation
4. Span determination
Desk Study and Site Investigation
 Sequence of stages
• Initial stage: Desk Study
– Desk study of available data
– Site visit and visual assessment
– Preliminary report and fieldwork plan
• Main stage: Site Investigation
– Fieldwork
• Geological mapping if necessary
• Trial pits, trenches and boreholes
• Geophysical survey if appropriate
– Lab testing, mainly of soils
– Geophysical survey
– Final Report
• Review stage
– Monitoring during excavation and construction
 Aims and benefits of a desk study:
• To collect, understand and interpret data
• To limit costs
• Aid in the Design Process
• Highlights problems early
• Low cost & cost effective
• Provides information which would otherwise
be difficult to obtain
 Sources of information
• Maps
• Geological maps & Memoirs
• Current OS Maps
• Old Maps / Aerial Photos
• Archive
– Historical Geotechnical Info.
– Engineering Drawings
– Construction Records
– Libraries
• Specialist Surveys
– Enviro Check, Landfill etc.
– Mining Records
– Ecological Survey
• Observational
– Site Visit / Walkover survey
– People (UU Ops, Construction Staff, Local Residents)
 Walkover survey
• Checklist
– Ground truth air photos
– Land use
– Physical features
• Geology
• Drift
– Groundwater conditions
 Desk study
• Collect the information
• Highlight potential problems
• Design site investigation
 Site investigation
• SITE INVESTIGATION is the exercise of
undertaking a planned sequence of
exploratory holes, with associated field and
laboratory testing, in order to bring our
understanding of the ground at a site, to an
acceptable level of confidence for a particular
project.
• SCOPE of investigation is developed from the
Desk Study review.
 Site investigation boreholes
• Percussion drilling
– soils/soft clay rocks
– core recovery
• Rotary coring
– soil or rock >100m
deep
– core recovery
• Rock probing
– rotary percussion rig
– soil or rock
– no core recovery
Cable (percussion) rig
 Field testing
• SPT : Standard Penetration Test
– no. of blows/300mm penetration
• Permeability Test
• Vane tests
• Cone Penetration Tests ( Dutch Cone
Soundings )
• In-Situ Density Test
Auger rotary drilling
 2.1 Introduction
Investigation of bridge is to select suitable site
which satisfy :
1.Economy
2.Safety,Traffic,
3.The stream and Aesthetics Demands
 2.1 Introduction contd,..
Site Selection Based on
• The proposed roads alignment
• The local terrain and site conditions
• The required design life the bridge
• The likely traffic volumes
• The resource available
 2.2 Site Selection contd…
Selection of bridge site , ideal site
1.Straight and perpendicular, avoid skew
2.Narrow, minimize cost and with firm banks
3.Uniform flow, no turbulent flow, reduce scoring
4. high stable and bank
5.Good soil foundation
6.If possible no under water construction
 2.2 Site Selection
1. Preliminary survey to select more alternatives(office
Works)
• Use road alignment
• Map, Hard Copy or Softcopy in Google Map to
calculate catchment area
 2.2 Site Investigation
Designers should visit to inspect
• High water marks
• Selection of roughness coefficient
• Flow concentration
• Observation of land use
Factors that most often need to be confirmed
by field inspection are:

• high-water marks or profiles and related frequencies.

• selection of roughness coefficients,
• evaluation of apparent flow direction and diversions,
• flow concentration (main stream),
• observation of land use and related flood hazards,
and
• geomorphic relationships and soil conditions
 FIELD SKETCHING AND PHOTOS
Check List of Site Investigation
• 1 FIELD VISIT INVESTIGATION FORM
•  
• • PROJECT:…………..................................................………………......……………… Date: …................………. Inv. by ……….........................…………………………….........................… Site Situated
@ STA: .................……….
• • WATERWAY: Name: .............................................................................. Direction of flow: ....................................
•  
• High Water Mark:... ...................... Level: +...............Side Slopes: ..................................degrees: ............ Diversions/ Flow concentration / Flood Hazards year,
level: .............................................................................................
• % Grade of Stream: ......... Channel, Base: ……(m) Height of Banks:…...... (m) Manning's Value n=.................. Crossing angle (estimated): …………degrees Meandering:
……………………………………(show figure below) Bottom/Base material............................................................ Material on channel side: ......................... n=..........
• Up or Downstream Restriction (debris/sedimentation/scour/soil mtrl.): ............................................................................
•  
• ..............................................................................................................................................................................................
•  
• • STRUCTURES : Bridges/ Buildings upstream and downstream: ............................................. @ M up/down:....... Type:
..........................................................................................Piers: Type: ............................................................
• Abutment Types: ........................................Width: ...............(m) Size of Spans: ................................................... Clear Height: ……(m) @............;
............m@..............; .............m@ .............; Total water width at HWL:............(m);
• (Overflow? Year? Level: +...) .............................................................................................................................................
•  
• • MISC. Land Uses upstream and downstream: .............................................................................................................. Vegetation (Location, Type,
Name): ................................................................................................................................... Wildlife (Paths, Traces, Type,
Name): ...............................................................................................................................
• • Soil Conditions: .......................................................................................................... at Roadway STA: ..................... Sample no: ............. @ STA: .............; Sample no: ............ @
STN: ................; Sample no: ............ @ STA: ................;
• • Photos no:............@STN:............... Shows: ................... Photos no:..........@STA:............... Shows: ......................... Photos no:............@STN:............... Shows: .....................
Photos no:............@STN:............... Shows: .........................
• • REMARKS:
• ........................................................................................................................................................................
•  
• ...............................................................................................................................................................................................
•  
• .............................................................................................................................................................................................
• ............................................................................................................................................................................................. (please, make simple plan sketch incl. water shores/Rd
alignment and continue the text on back side of this page, if
• needed)
 Bridge Inspection Form
•
 2.3 Site Investigation Inputs
• Catchment area and run off data
• Drawings
• River survey
• Soil investigation
 2.4 Span determination
• Economical span= cost of super= cost of sub
• Hydraulic requirements
• Location of piers
• Free board
• Grade requirement
 2.4 Span determination
• Economical span= cost of super= cost of sub
• Hydraulic requirements
• Location of piers
• Free board
• Grade requirement
 2.4 Span determination
• Economical span= cost of super= cost of sub
• Hydraulic requirements
• Location of piers
• Free board
• Grade requirement
 Economical Span

• Span determination is usually dictated by the

hydraulic requirement.
• However, there are conditions where
lengthen spans are chosen for the sake of
road alignment.
• For a given span the most economical span is
the length at which superstructure cost equals
to substructure cost.
 Factors Considered in relation to economy

• Structural types, span lengths, and materials shall be

selected with due consideration of projected cost.

• The cost of future expenditures during the projected

service life of the bridge should be considered.

• Regional factors, such as availability of material,

fabrication, location, shipping, and erection
constraints, shall be considered.
 Hydraulic Requirements
• Bridges are designed to accommodate design
discharge at design flood.
• When a river has a wide flood plain, the economical
solution may be using short span bridge with proper
scour and erosion protection for the embankment,
abutments and piers.
• Piers should be located in such a manner that they
can provide the required lineal waterway and
navigational clearance.
• The alignment of piers and abutments should, if
possible, be set parallel to the direction of flow
during maximum flood.
 Water Levels
• Information is needed on the highest known flood level, the
ordinary flood level and the low water level at the proposed
site.
• The historical flood level/ highest-known flood level (HFL)
should be determined by calculation and supplemented
with local observation and inquiries in the locality (see also the
ERA Drainage Design Manual- 2002, Chapter 5: Hydrology).
• The silt marks that high floods generally leave on tree trunks
and rocks remain visible for several years.
• If there are old trees at the site vicinity, they should be
examined for the presence of small twigs left adhering to the
bark at high water levels.
 Water Levels contd.
• It is usually helpful to ask people who have been living in the area
for a long time about their recollections of particularly high
floods, with a caution that this source of information is variable
in reliability.
• It is usually better to make such inquiries by talking to people
individually rather than in groups.
• The normal high water level, the ordinary flood level (OFL), is the
level to which the river normally rises during the wettest part of
the year.
• The normal low water level, the low water level (LWL), is the
level prevailing in the river during dry weather. If there is little or
no flow in dry weather, the period during which the riverbed
remains dry should be noted.
 Free Board
• The waterway below the superstructure must be
designed to pass the design flood and the floating
debris carried on it.
• The free board allows for uncertainty in determining
DFL also. The minimum free board above the design
water level is given in table follows unless refined
hydraulic analyses have been made.
Table 2.1: Free Board/Vertical Clearance at Design Flood Level (DFL)

Discharge (m3/s) Vertical Clearance/Free

board (m)
0 to 3.0 0.3

3.0 to 30.0 0.6

30.0 to 300 0.9

> 300 1.2

Table 2-2 Table of Bridge Widths
Application Width (m)
Two-lane in “urban” area 10.30
Two-lane in “rural” area 7.30
Single Lane 4.20
Pedestrian Overpass 3.0