DESIGN OF BRIDGES

I. Required Design Data

II. Design Criteria and Standards
III. Design Procedure
IV. Design Revisions
BRIDGE
A bridge is a structure that crosses over a river, bay, or other
obstruction, permitting the smooth and safe passage of vehicles,
trains, and pedestrians.
 BRIDGE ELEVATION
A bridge structure is divided into an upper part (the superstructure) and a
lower part (the substructure).
 COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE
STRUCTURE
SUPERSTRUCTURE
• The superstructure provides
horizontal spans such as
deck and girders and carries
traffic loads directly.
• All the components of a
bridge above the supports
• Consist of the following:
wearing surface, deck,
primary members and
secondary members
SUBSTRUCTURE
• The substructure supports
the horizontal spans,
elevating above the ground
surface.
• All elements required to
support the superstructure
and overpass roadway
• Consist of the following:
abutments, piers, bearings,
footings, piles and sheeting
Types/Classification of Superstructure
According to Materials Used
1. Timber Bridge
2. Concrete Bridge
a. Reinforced Concrete
b. Prestressed Concrete
3. Steel Bridge
a. Steel Plate Girder
b. Steel I-Beam
c. Steel Truss
d. Steel Box Girder
 TIMBER BRIDGE
Wooden bridges are used when the span is relatively short.
 T-BEAM BRIDGE
A number of reinforced concrete T-beams are placed side by side to support
the live load.
 PRESTRESSED CONCRETE GIRDER BRIDGE
A form of concrete girder used in bridges which is “pre-stressed” by being placed
under compression prior to supporting any loads beyond its own weight.
 FLAT SLAB BRIDGE
A two-way reinforced concrete slab that usually does not have beams and
girders, and the loads are transferred directly to the supporting substructures.
 PLATE GIRDER BRIDGE

The main girders consist of a plate assemblage of upper and lower flanges and a
web. H- or I-cross-sections effectively resist bending and shear.
 STEEL BRIDGE
A steel bridge may use a wide variety of structural steel components and systems:
girders, frames, trusses, arches, and suspension cables.
 BOX GIRDER BRIDGE
The simple (or multiple) main girder consists of a box beam fabricated from steel
plates or formed from concrete, which resists not only bending and shear but also
torsion effectively.
Piers
Types of Piers Commonly Used

- Piers with solid shaft

- Piers with two columns

- Piers with single column

- Piers on pile bent

 Classification of Pier
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B. Substructure Elements

1. Abutment

Two Basic Categories:

a. Open End Abutments
- Diaphragm or integral type
- Seat type
- Spill through type
b. Closed Type Abutments
- Cantilever type
- Restrained type.
- Rigid frame type
- Cellular or vaulted type
- Gravity or semi-gravity type
- Reinforced earth type

Types of Abutment Commonly Used:

- Abutments on pile bent
- Abutments on two columns
- Cantilever type
 TYPES OF BRIDGES
Classification by Alignment Classification by Durability
• Normal bridge • Permanent bridge
• Skewed bridge • Temporary bridge
• Curved bridge
 NORMAL BRIDGE
A normal bridge is a structure where the superstructure is perpendicular to the
substructure.
 SKEWED BRIDGE
A skew bridge is a structure where the superstructure is not perpendicular to the substructure. The skew angle is the
deviation of the substructure centerlines and reference lines from the perpendicular lines to the bridge axis.
 CURVED BRIDGE
A curved bridge is a structure or portion of the structure that follows a horizontal or vertical curve
alignment.
According to Usage
1. Temporary – a bridge designed for a short life
span

2. Permanent – a bridge with a designed life span

of at least seventy five (75) years before it is
completely replaced
REQUIRED DESIGN DATA
A. BRIDGE SITE TOPOGRAPHIC /HYDROGRAPHIC
SURVEY
 Drawn to scale of 1:500 to 1:1000 depending
on the width of the river
 Distance of, which is larger 5 times the width of
the river or at least 100m to 200m
 The topo-map should be extended at least
200m upstream & downstream from the center
line of the proposed bridge to obtain enough
information for river control & training works
A. BRIDGE SITE TOPOGRAPHIC /HYDROGRAPHIC
SURVEY

 Location plan showing the existing public

and private structures that maybe
affected by the project

 Cross – section at the approaches at

20m interval
B. PROFILE ALONG THE CENTERLINE OF THE
PROPOSED BRIDGE

 Showing the elevations of ordinary water

level, ordinary flood level &
maximum/design flood level.

C. RIVER CROSS-SECTIONS

 @ 20m interval extending 100 to 200 meters

upstream and downstream from the pro-
posed bridge indicating the experienced
high and ordinary water elevations.
 For new bridge cross sections over channel length:
Cross sections over the length of channel mentioned above should be equally spaced at 20m intervals to
provide a minimum of eleven cross sections (5 upstream, 5 downstream and 1 at the centerline) and cross
sections at every 20m along the bridge centerline profile measured at least 100m beyond the ends of the of
the proposed bridge.
For existing bridges, cross sections over channel length:
Cross sections over the length of stream channel mentioned above should be equally spaced at 20m intervals to
provide a minimum of twelve cross sections (1 at each face of the bridge, 5 upstream and 5 downstream
measured from the faces of the bridge) and cross sections at every 20m along the bridge centerline profile
measured at least 100m beyond the ends of the bridge
 HYDROLOGIC / HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS

• Topographic map showing the watershed area

and point of interest
• Calculation of required waterway opening
• Scour Analysis
• Calculation of Design Flood Level
 TYPES OF FLOOD LEVEL
OWL / NWL
• Ordinary Water Level or
Normal Water Level
• Height of water level in the
river under normal condition
MFL
• Maximum Flood Level
• Highest recorded flood level
• Based from gauging or on
anecdotal observations from
the community, which have to
be verified or validated by the
hydrologist
• An equivalent return period
may be computed which will
guide the hydrologist whether
the maximum flood level shall
be used as the design flood
level.
E. BORING DATA WITH SPT and GEOTECHNICAL
REPORT

SHALL BE UNDERTAKEN FOR THE DESIGN OF ALL

BRIDGE FOUNDATIONS:
• At least one borehole at the proposed
location of each abutment and pier
• For piers or abutments 30m wide, minimum
of two borings
• Additional boreholes shall be drilled when
there is significant difference between
adjacent boreholes or in areas where
subsurface condition is complex
 • In case centerline is realigned, confirmatory
boreholes should be conducted

Borehole Depth
If foundation type has not been identified,
- Minimum depth: 30m (ordinary soil)
3m (sound rock)
- In case bearing layer is not yet
encountered, boring shall be continued
until preferred layer is encountered and/or
upon the instruction of the geotechnical
engineer
Tests on Borehole Samples
- Standard Penetration Test (SPT) – max interval
of 1.5 m and every change in soil stratum
- Laboratory Tests
Required information in GEOTECHNICAL
INVESTIGATION REPORT
a. Borehole location plan (with
coordinates and elevations)
b. Depth of Boreholes
c. Soil stratigraphy
d. Soil parameters

e. Allowable bearing capacity

f. Anticipated settlement

g. Rock Quality Designation (RQD)

h. Shear wave velocity

i. Liquefaction potential

j. Recommended foundation type

Type of Piles
1. Timber Pile – used for temporary construction,
revetments, fender and similar work.
2. Reinforced Concrete Piles – used as foundation
piles (Precast or Cast-in-Place) for bridges.
3. Steel Piles – used where hard driving is
expected.
Type of Piles, cont…
4. Composite Steel/Concrete Piles – used if the
portion of the pile is exposed to corrosive
environment and hard driving is expected
5. Prestressed Concrete Piles – used as foundation
piles for bridges where larger bearing capacity
and longer piles are required.
II. DESIGN CRITERIA & STANDARDS
II. DESIGN CRITERIA & STANDARDS

A. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

• Department Order No. 75, series 1992 DPWH

Advisory for Seismic Design of Bridges.”
• Department Order No. 45, series 2016 LRFD
Bridge Seismic Design Specification,1st Edition,
2013
• DPWH Design Guidelines, Criteria and
Standards, Volume 5, 2015)
• DPWH Standard Specifications, Vol. II,
Highways, Bridges & Airports, 2013 ed.
SCOPE AND APPLICATION

This guideline shall apply to the

design for the construction,
alteration, repair and retrofitting of
highway bridges and other related
highway structures. Not included in
this design guideline are provisions
for bridges used for railway, railway
transit and public utilities. The
guideline can be used together with
other codes and specifications for
other bridge types not covered
herein.
Department Order No. 179
Series of 2015

• Design Guidelines, Criteria and

Standards, 2015 Edition
• Update of previous guidelines
(DGCS 1984)
• Consists of eight (8) volumes
• Volume 5: Bridge Design
SCOPE OF SPECIFICATIONS
The scope of these Specifications
covers mainly seismic design of
bridges under the “Extreme Event
Limit State for Earthquake Loading
(Extreme Event 1)” following the
force-based R-factor (response
modification factor) design concept
and philosophy of the AASHTO
LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
(2012 or later).
Department Order No. 45
Series of 2016
• LRFD Bridge Seismic Design
Specifications, 1st Edition, 2013
• A one-year transition period is
given for the adaptation and
familiarization of the new
guidelines, criteria and
specifications during which bridge
engineers have a choice of two
standards: Load Factor Design,
Load and Resistance Factor
Design
• After this transition period, use of
DGCS 2015 and BSDC is
mandatory
PURPOSE AND INTENT

The purpose of this guideline is to

assist bridge designers in the
Philippines to produce bridges of
aesthetic value. The term “guideline”
in this document refers to the
requirements, objectives, design
principles, and processes in the
design of bridges. In addition, this
guideline will help Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
along with other transport
infrastructure consultants and
construction companies.
Department Order No. 49
Series of 2018

• DPWH Bridge Aesthetic

Guidelines
• Inclusion of Bridge Aesthetics in all
Bridge Plans
• The DPWH Bridge Aesthetic
Guidelines shall be incorporated in
all DPWH bridge projects.
FOREWORD

This revised 2012 Edition of the

DPWH Standard Specifications for
Highways, Bridges and Airports
(Volume II) includes Specifications
for new construction materials and
technologies that have been adopted
and/or prescribed through
Department Order issuances since
2004. Likewise, amendments to the
2004 Edition have been incorporated
in this revised edition, thereby
providing us with an updated
standard reference material to be
used in the implementation of our
infrastructure projects.
Department Order No. 93
Series of 2013
• DPWH Standard Specifications
for Public Works and Highways,
Volume II – Highways, Bridges
and Airports, 2012 Edition
• The DPWH Standard
Specifications for Public Works and
Highways, Volume II – Highways,
Bridges and Airports, 2012 Edition
shall be adopted in the
implementation of all infrastructure
projects of said categories.
Department Order No. 143
Series of 2017

• Revised Standard Pay Items List

for Infrastructure Projects
B. DEPARTMENT ISSUANCES/ORDER (D.O.)
No. Series Subject

229 1993 Guidelines of Soil Survey and Sampling of Highway Design and
Substructure Exploration for Design and Construction of
Foundation of Bridges
25 1997 Revised DPWH Standard Specifications for Elastomeric Bearing
Pads
50 2002 Approval of Design Plans Prepared by DPWH consultants
23 2006 DPWH Standard Specification on the use of Thormajoint in Bridge
Expansion Joint
06 2007 Manual for Load Rating of Bridges
30 2011 Prescribing Concrete Structures for Short Bridge
85 2013 Prescribing Guidelines on the Use of Expansion Joints in
Bridges
11 2014 Design Standards for Tourism and Farm to Market Roads
171 2015 Policy Guidelines on the Maintenance of National Roads and
Bridges
B. DEPARTMENT ISSUANCES/ORDER (D.O.), cont…
No. Series Subject

37 2016 Policies and Guidelines on the Testing of Bored Piles for

Infrastructure Project
39 2016 Guidelines on Load Posting of Bridges
53 2016 Minimum Vertical Clearance Above the Roadway for
Railway, Flyover, Bridge and Footbridge Structure Along
and Crossing National Highways
164 2016 Road and Bridge Project Policies, Responsibilities and
Accountabilities
77 2018 Revised Guidelines in the Preparation of Detailed Engineering
Design, “As-Staked”, Revised, and “As-Built” Plans for Highway,
Bridge and Water Projects
Design Criteria And Requirements
Bridge Alignment
• A normal bridge is a structure • A curved bridge is a
where the superstructure is
perpendicular to the structure or portion of the
substructure. structure that follows a
• A skew bridge is a structure horizontal or vertical curve
where the superstructure is not
perpendicular to the alignment.
substructure. The skew angle
is the deviation of the
substructure centerlines and
reference lines from the
perpendicular lines to the
bridge axis.
 Design Criteria And Requirements
Span Arrangement
• Minor bridges should be
single-span to eliminate any
piers.
• Two-span bridges with a
pier in the center of the
stream should be avoided.
• An odd number of spans shall
be preferably used to avoid a
pier at the center of a river or
creek with rapid stream flow
and / or high debris loads.
• Simple cost optimization
theory suggests that the
lowest bridge cost is achieved
when the cost of the
superstructure and the cost
of substructure are
approximately equal.
• Low substructure cost :
smaller spans : increased
number of piers
• High substructure cost : longer
spans : reduce number of
piers
Design Criteria And Requirements

Clear Width of Bridges

• For Farm to Market Bridges,
No Lanes
Minimum Width based on the DPWH
Roadway
1 Lane 4.00 m
Department Order No. 11
2 Lanes 7.32 m Series of 2014, February 3,
More than 2 Lanes
Refer to Highway 2014 Design Standards for
Design Requirements
Tourism and Farm to Market
Roads, carriageway width is
4.60 m (for 4.00 m roadway
width) and 5.60 m (for 5.00
m roadway width)
 Design Criteria And Requirements
• The length of the bridge is
the total distance between
faces of back of backwalls
• The slope of the bridge
approach embankments
and slope protection shall
be 1H:1V, 1.25H:1V or
1.5H:1V depending upon
the type of soil for seismic Length of Bridge
considerations 1.5H:1V or
flatter slopes are
recommended.
 Span Limits for Different
Superstructures
Timber Bridge Reinforced Concrete
Bridges
• The maximum span shall be
not more than 6.00 m. Form of
Span range
Construction
• Timber shall be adopted Precast Slab or Flat
6.0 m to 12.0 m
Slab
only as a last resort for
Concrete Deck
temporary bridges. Girder (RCDG)
13.0 m to 20.0 m

Box Girder 22.0 m to 30.0 m

Hollow Slab Bridge 10.0 m to 20.0 m
 Span Limits for Different
Superstructures
Prestressed Concrete
Bridges Steel Bridges

Form of Form of
Span Range Span Range
Construction Construction
Channel beams 11.0 m to 14.0 m Steel I-beam 15.0 m to 30.0 m
Tee beams 15.0 m to 18.0 m Steel plate girder 20.0 m to 50.0 m
I-beams 21.0 m to 30.0 m Steel box girder 30.0 m to 100.0 m
Box Girders Over 30.0 m Bailey bridge 9.0 m to 30.0 m
Hollow (voided) slab 15.0 m to 30.0 m Steel truss 40.0 m to 130.0 m
 Span Limits for Different
Superstructures
Arch Bridge Suspension Bridge

• Long bridge with a span up • The span range is greater

to 400 m.
• Short bridge with a span up
to 15 m, and could
considered a form of cut
and cover tunnel.
than that of a cable-stayed
bridge, from 600 m to
around 2000 m.
 Span Limits for Different
Superstructures
Cable Stayed Bridge

• The span range shall be

from 150 m to around 850
m.
• Refer to Department Order
30 Series of 2011
 Number of Girders
No. of Lanes Min. Roadway Width (m) Min. No. of Girders
1 lane 4.00 3 girders
2 lanes 6.70 4 girders (rural)
2 lanes 7.30 4 girders (urban)
More than 2 lanes Variable Not less than 6 girders
Typical Pedestrian Bridge
BRIDGE SUBSTRUCTURE
 Design Criteria and Requirements
Bridges are supported by
substructures:
Abutments
• Support the ends of a bridge
or extreme end of a multi-
span superstructures and
which usually retain or
support the road approach
embankments.
• Abutments normally support
wing walls to retain the
approach embankments.
Piers
• Transmit the load of the
superstructure to the
supporting ground and acts
as intermediate supports
between abutments.
• The piers may be subject to
stream, collision and impact
loads.
 Design Criteria and Requirements
Criteria in the Selection of Substructure Type
Abutment Pier
• Velocity of current and
• Height of fill at the approach nature of drift
• Kinds of superstructure to • Kinds of superstructure to
be used be used
• Scouring character of the • Type of soil at the pier
river bank • Direction of flow of the river
• Type of soil at the abutment with respect to the
longitudinal axis of the
bridge
• Profile along the center line
of the bridge
 Abutment types and Application
Two basic categories of Abutments
Open End Abutments Closed End Abutments
• Abutments with low height • Solid cantilever abutment
seats located at the top of structures extending from
the approach embankment the final surface below the
or natural slope. bridge to support the bridge
• The abutment seats may be seat overhead.
supported on piles driven • They are normally used at
through the embankment or road crossings, combined
natural ground or may be with road support retaining
founded on gravel fill, the walls.
embankment or the natural • They are also used at river
ground itself. crossings.
 Piers
Pier Types of Piers Commonly
Used
• Bridge piers transmit the
load of the superstructure to • Solid shaft
the foundation material and
• Two columns
provide intermediate
supports between • Single column (T-Bent)
abutments. • Piles
• All piers should be designed
for the maximum calculated
scour depth across the river
channel.
FOUNDATIONS
Selection Criteria and Requirements
Selection of the type of foundation for a bridge shall
consider:
• Environment impact during
construction.
• Height of the substructure.
• Impact of foundation
• Characteristics of the installation on traffic and right
foundation to meet the of way in terms of time and
performance requirements space required.
such as deformation, bearing
• Impact of the foundation on
resistance, uplift resistance.
the performance of adjacent
• Constraints that may impact of foundation, structures or
the foundation installation utilities considering the design
(overhead clearances, access of the adjacent structures or
and utilities). utilities and performance
• Constructability. impact of the installation of the
foundation on these facilities.
• Cost.
 Spread Footing Foundations

Spread footings may be adopted for bridges where suitable ground conditions
occur that will enable economical foundations to be provided.
Pile Foundations
Pile foundations are used to carry and transfer the load of the bearing
ground located at lower depths below the ground surface. This type of
foundation is composed of the pile cap and the piles.
 Pile Foundations
Required penetration

• For hard cohesive or dense

granular material : minimum
of 3.00 m
• For soft cohesive or loosed
granular material : minimum
of 6.00 m
 Pile Tests and Capacity Determination
Pile Integrity Test

• Non-destructive method
• Low strain dynamic test / ultrasonic echo test (cross hole
sonic logging) / low strain integrity test
• Locates pile discontinuities (voids, changes in cross sections
and soil resistance changes)
• Tests shall be conducted on 50% of the total number of bored
piles per structure
Pile Tests and Capacity Determination
Bearing Capacity Test

• Determine / checks the actual bearing capacity against

the required ultimate bearing capacity
• Test shall be conducted one at each abutment and one
at each pier or locations as specified in the plans or as
designated by the Project Engineer
• Should be undertaken on the first completed pile in a
particular structure. Construction of succeeding similar
piles may be allowed only after the acceptance of the
results.
BRIDGE AESTHETICS
 RURAL BRIDGE
Blend naturally, in contrast and complement with the landscape and surrounding.
 RURAL BRIDGE
Maximize the view, minimize complexity and horizontal in form.
B. LOADING SPECIFICATIONS

1) DEAD LOAD

Selfweight plus allowance for future

superimposed dead loads such as wearing
surface and weight of public utilities.
2) LIVE LOAD
Vehicular live loading on roadways of
bridges or incidental structures,
designated HL-93, and shall consist of:
• Design truck or tandem load
• Design lane load
DESIGN TRUCK (HL – 93 )
DESIGN TANDEM

DESIGN LANE LOAD

 DYNAMIC LOAD ALLOWANCE, IM
The factor to be applied to the static load, shall be
F = 1 + (IM / 100)
- shall not be applied to pedestrian loads and design
lane load
LIVE LOADS
(PERMIT LOADING CALTRANS)
SIDEWALK LOADING

For spans up to 7.92m ……….4070 Pa

For spans 7.92 to 30.5m…..….3600 Pa
For spans > 30.5m ..…p = [ 1435 + 43800/L ]
[(1.67 - W)/15.2 ]
L = span length, m W = sidewalk width, m
EARTH PRESSURE

Coulomb Analysis (Normal Mononobe-Okabe Analysis

Time) (Earthquake Time)

• Earth Pressure Coefficient • Earth Pressure Coefficient

SEISMIC LOAD

Specification: DPWH Bridge Seismic Design Specification

(BSDS 2013)
Governing Regulation :
DPWH Department Order No.75 Series of 1992,
re: Bridge Seismic Design
DPWH Department Order No.45 Series of 2016,
re: LRFD Seismic 1st Edition, 2013
Design Parameters :
Ground motion parameter defined as ground
acceleration coefficient, PGA (based on BSDS ground
acceleration map)
 Site Effects as defined by site coefficient, S
depending on soil profile at the bridge site.

Important Considerations :

- Relationship of the site to active faults.

- Seismic response of the soils at the site.
- Dynamic response characteristics of the whole
structure.
Design Earthquake – Refers to the two levels of
design earthquake: Level 1 Earthquake Ground
Motion with a 100-year return periods or a
probability of exceedance corresponding to 53%
in 75 years and Level 2 Earthquake Ground Motion
with a 1000-year return periods or a probability of
exceedance corresponding to 7% in 75 years.
ANALYSIS PROCEDURES :

Procedure 1 : Single Mode Spectral Method

(Equivalent Static Lateral Force
Method)

- For “regular” bridges only.*

- The method assumes single mode shape so that
a single degree of freedom “generalized
parameter” model can be formulated.
Procedure 2: Multi-mode Spectral Method
(Dynamic Analysis)

- Required for bridges with irregular geometry.

- Performed using a computer program with
space frame linear dynamic analysis
capabilities.

Ex. SAP 2000, STAAD V8i SS6I & MIDAS Civil

DEPARTMENT ORDER NO. 75, Series of 1992
SUBJECT : DPWH Advisory for Seismic Design of
Bridges July 17, 1992

The threat of earthquakes occurring in the Philippines can no

longer be discounted. Past and recent events have shown
devastating effects of earthquakes not only on buildings but
also on highways and bridges. In addition to the loss of lives,
the recent Cabanatuan and Baguio Earthquakes caused the
closure of many highways and the collapse of many bridges
which are designed based on older AASHTO Standard
Specifications resulting in millions of pesos in repair and/or
replacements.
Considering that highways and bridges are the main arteries
in calamities, they should be serviceable at all times
especially during emergencies.

In modern seismic design of bridges, the basic design

philosophy is for the bridge to resist small to moderate
earthquakes in the elastic range without significant
damage. In case of large earthquakes, a bridge may
suffer damage but this should not cause collapse of all
or any of its parts and such damage should readily
be detectable and accessible for inspection and
repair.
DEP’T ORDER NO.75 cont..

Therefore, to mitigate, if not prevent damage/s to bridges due

to earthquakes, and for the guidance of engineering
professionals and DPWH engineers particularly those
undertaking the design of bridges, the DPWH is issuing
this ADVISORY :

1. As a minimum requirement, the design of bridges shall

conform with the current AASHTO Standard Specifica-
tions for Highway Bridges, 14th Edition, and the Guide
Specifications for Seismic Design (1989 or latest edition)
2. Design Concept to be adopted shall be as follows :

a) Continuous bridges with monolithic multi-column

bents have high degree of redundancy and are the
preferred type of bridge structure to resist seismic
shaking. Deck discontinuities such as expansion
joints and hinges should be kept to an absolute
minimum. Suspended spans, brackets, rollers, etc
are not recommended.

b) Where multi-span simple span bridges are justified,

decks should be continuous.
DEP’T ORDER NO. 75 cont...
c) Restrainers (horizontal linkage between adjacent
span) are required at all joints in accordance with
the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Seismic Design
and generous seat widths at piers and abutments
should be provided to prevent loss-of-span failures.

d) Transverse reinforcements in the zones of yielding

is essential to the successful performance of
reinforced concrete columns during earthquakes.
Transverse reinforcement serves to confine the
main longitudinal reinforcement and the concrete
within the core of the column, thus preventing
buckling of the main reinforcements.
e) Plastic hinging should be forced to occur in ductile
column regions of the pier rather than in the founda-
tion unit. A scheme to protect the abutment piles from
failure is often accomplished by designing the back-
wall to shear-off when subjected to the design seismic
lateral force that would otherwise fail the abutment
piles.

f) The stiffness of the bridge as a whole should be

considered in the analysis. In irregular structures, it is
particularly important to include the soil-structure
interaction.
This Advisory amends the existing DPWH Guidelines on
the Seismic Design of Bridges and shall take effect
immediately.
(Sgd) SEC. JOSE P. DE JESUS
 FIG. 2A ILLUSTRATING THE PROVISIONS OF DPWH D.O. No. 75
for SEISMIC DESIGN OF BRIDGES
MONOLITHIC CONTINUITY MINIMUM JOINTS GENEROUS
ABUTMENT SEAT WIDTH

RESTRAINERS

PLASTIC HINGES

• MULTI-COLUMN BENT IS PREFERRED OVER SINGLE COLUMN PIERS

• THE STIFFNESS OF THE WHOLE BRIDGE SHOULD BE COSIDERED IN THE ANALYSIS
• TRANVERSE REINFORCEMENT AT REGIONS OF YIELDING (PLASTIC HINGES)
 Extended column spirals
into coping, min. = D/2

Column End
Region
H/6, D, or 18”
Column Outside

D
Region

Column Section

Column End
Extended column spirals
Region
into footing, min. = D/2
H/6, D, or 18”
16mm f @
..............
300 o.c. d
.............
d d Extended Pile Reinf.
w/ hoops or ties
TYPICAL PIER DETAILS
III. DESIGN PROCEDURE
Available information relevant to the bridge
project should be compiled, including the
following but not limited to:
• Topographic maps of the bridge site and stream catchment
area
• Geotechnical information
• History of any prior or existing bridges at the site, including
dates of construction and performance during the past floods
and earthquakes
• Road Right of Way (RROW)
III. DESIGN PROCEDURE
1. Preliminary layout of the proposed bridge.
(General Plan and Elevation)
- Review hydraulic/hydrologic analyses to determine
the required waterway opening and bridge elevation.

- Survey data (topographic map of bridge site, profiles,

river cross sections, water elevations)

- Bridge geometric requirements such as vertical/

horizontal alignments, roadway width, sidewalk/
shoulder width, median width and vertical clearance.

- Preliminary selection of the types of superstructures,

substructures and foundations.
BRIDGE WATERWAY AND LENGTH

B = (0.5~0.8) Q3/4 L = 20 + 0.005Q

where: where:

B= approximate river width L= desirable minimum

Q= discharge bridge span length (m)

Q= design discharge (cu.m./s)

 TOTAL BRIDGE LENGTH
BASED ON WATERWAY WIDTH & MIN. VERT. CLEARANCE
MINIMUM CLEARANCE :
1.0 m (no debris) TOP OF ROADWAY ELEV.
1.5 m
or as required for navigation
BOTTOM OF SLOPE
MFL GIRDER EL.
SLOPE
OWL

(PROFILE ALONG THE CENTERLINE OF BRIDGE)

Fig. 4 PRELIMINARY LAYOUT OF A PROPOSED BRIDGE
 SPAN ARRANGEMENT
Refer to Span Limits for Different Superstructures
FREEBOARD
CLEARANCES
• Vertical clearance between the Design Flood Level,
DFL, (or the Maximum Flood Level, MFL) and the soffit
of the lowest member of the bridge superstructure
shall not be less than 1.50 m for rivers carrying debris
and 1.00 m for other bridges.

• For navigable channels, the required vertical

clearance, based on HPCG/CG-8, Memorandum
Circular Number 01-14, Navigational Clearance for
Road Bridges and Other Structures over Navigational
Inland Waters, 16 April, 2014 shall be:
CLEARANCES, cont…
Vertical Clearance = HWL + HV + K
where:
HWL = highest water level recorded within
the AOR (Area of Responsibility)
HV = height of vessel
K = is a constant 1 meter allowance

For bridges in the coastal environment, adequate

freeboard shall be provided to prevent wave impact
on the bridge superstructure under combined action of
high tide, storm surge and design wave.
•CLEARANCES, cont…
• Vertical clearance above the roadway shall not
be less than 4.88 meters over the entire roadway
width to which an allowance of 0.15 meter shall be
added for future additional road surfacing.

• The clearance to pedestrian footbridges over

roads shall be 0.30 meter greater than the vertical
clearance as cited above to reduce the risk of
truck impact against pedestrian bridges which
have low load capacity.
CLEARANCES, cont…
• The minimum vertical clearance shall also be
provided below the coping at locations where portion
of the carriageway is underneath the coping (e.g.,
intersections, U-turn slots) to allow safe passage of
vehicles.

• The clear height/headroom between the pedestrian

bridge walking surface and the bottom of the girder of
the structure above shall not be less than 2.0 meters.
2. Establish the design criteria and specifications

(General Notes)

- Design Specifications / Standards

- Design live load
- Design Stresses

- Seismic design criteria :

Ground acceleration coefficient., PGA
Operational classification, OC-II

- Materials specifications

- Construction specifications
3. Final selection of the type of structures.
Superstructures & substructures :

- span lengths
- height of substructures
- size limitations

Foundations :

- depth of scour
- depth of hard strata
- liquefaction potential of foundation
materials
- magnitude of loads from superstructure
4. Design of superstructures
- Deck slab (interior & exterior slab)
Slab thickness
Steel reinforcement (main rebars, distribution
rebars )
- Design of main girders & cross beams
(RCDG, prestressed I-girder, steel or concrete box
girder, composite plate girder, etc.)
- Design of steel trusses
Main members (top & bottom chords, vert. & diag.)
Floor system (stringers & floor beams)
- Miscellaneous designs
Bearings, railings, expansion dams, lighting etc.
- Detailing
5. Design of Substructures
- Check for depth of scour.
- Check for liquefaction potential.
- Create a “stick model” of the bridge for structural
analyses (see Fig.5)
- Analyze for various combination of loads
(see AASHTO Table 3.22.1A for load combinations)
- Design pier coping and columns.
- Design pier footings and foundations.
- Detailing
FIG. 5 “STICK MODEL” FOR STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
IV. DESIGN REVISIONS
IV. DESIGN REVISIONS

1. When are revisions of bridge design necessary ?

(Revision of Superstructure Design)

- To facilitate construction and/or shorten e.g.,

Revision from cast-in-place girder construction to
precast / prestressed girders.
- Change in span length or elevation.
- To update the design with current / revised code
provisions.
- Faulty design sometimes resulting from inaccurate
survey data / information.
- Non availability of materials / equipment for
construction.
 (Revision of Substructure and Foundation Design)

- When actual soil conditions do not correspond

with the design assumptions.
- Insufficient penetration of test piles.
- Required bearing capacity at footing elevation
could not be attained.
- Non-availability of materials / equipment for
construction.
2. Requirements for approval of revised plans :
- Reasons/justifications for the proposed revisions
- Revised structural analysis
- Boring Data / Pile Driving Data
- Hydraulic analysis
- Copy of approved plans
- As-staked survey data

Other Requirements :

- Redesigns could be done by the original designer/

consultant, the implementing office or the
contractor when it is necessary for proper project
implementation.
- Redesigns shall have the concurrence of the
original designer / consultant.
- Revised plans should be approved by the official
who approved the original plans
 Requirements for the use of the Different
Types of Piles

• Piling shall be considered when footings

cannot be founded on rock or other solid
foundation material.
• Penetration for any pile shall be not less than
3.00m in hard cohesive or dense granular
material nor less than 6.00m in soft cohesive or
loose granular material.
Typical Pedestrian Bridge
 Design Criteria and Requirements
Bridges are supported by
substructures:
Abutments
• Support the ends of a bridge
or extreme end of a multi-
span superstructures and
which usually retain or
support the road approach
embankments.
• Abutments normally support
wing walls to retain the
approach embankments.
Piers
• Transmit the load of the
superstructure to the
supporting ground and acts
as intermediate supports
between abutments.
• The piers may be subject to
stream, collision and impact
loads.
 Pile Foundations
Pile foundations are used to carry and transfer the load of the bearing ground
located at lower depths below the ground surface. This type of foundation is
composed of the pile cap and the piles.
COMBINATION AND
FACTORS
* A regular bridge has no abrupt or unusual
changes in mass, stiffness or geometry along its
span and has no large difference in these
parameters between adjacent supports
(abutments excluded). For example a bridge
may be considered regular if it is straight or
describes the sector of an arc not exceeding 90o
and has adjacent columns or piers that do not
differ in stiffness by more than 25 %.
An irregular bridge is any bridge that does not
satisfy the above definition.
 BRIDGE WATERWAY AND LENGTH
The determination of adequate waterway openings for river crossings is essential to the design of safe and economical bridges.
Hydrologic and hydraulic studies of bridge sites are necessary in the determination of the bridge length.