Practices for Ensuring the Smoothness of Concrete Bridge Decks
Rough bridge surfaces can increase user costs by accumulative wear and tear on vehicles,
increase freight costs resulting from damage to goods or packaging, add to potential safety
concerns with nonuniform tire loads, decrease the life of a structure by increasing dynamic loads,
and reduce user satisfaction.
The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's
NCHRP Synthesis 580: Practices for Ensuring the Smoothness of Concrete Bridge Decks
documents state departments of transportation (DOTs) practices used to evaluate the
smoothness of concrete bridge decks when constructed, procedures used to keep track
of the roughness of concrete bridge decks over time, and practices used to maintain
the smoothness of concrete bridge decks through the life cycle of the structure.
This Summary Last Modified On: 11/3/2023