Research Pays Off: Jointless Bridge Research Pays Dividends for Vermont

The Vermont Department of Transportation (VTrans) initiated a research project, Performance Monitoring of Jointless Bridges, to gain a thorough understanding of how jointless bridges respond to thermal movements and to dead and live loads in a northern climate. The primary research objectives were to provide VTrans engineers with the knowledge and quantitative data to design and construct cost-effective, efficient, safe, reliable, and low-maintenance structures. The research has been conducted in three phases, beginning in 2002, and is expected to be completed in 2013. The primary benefit expected from this research is the development of design standards from a comprehensive analysis of performance data, producing designs that can maximize efficiency, as well as identify and mitigate known risks. Actions implemented as a result of research in the early phases of the project have already paid off. Ancillary benefits include refining construction details and specifications to avoid unnecessary claims related to these structures. Tangible economic benefits include reductions in maintenance and construction costs. Indirect benefits include savings from a more rapid construction schedule and fewer environmental impacts.