The design procedure to calculate the shear capacity of bridge girders that was used forty years ago is very different than those procedures that are recommended in the current AASHTO LRFD Specifications. As a result, many bridge girders that were built forty years ago do not meet current design standards, and in some cases warrant replacement due to insufficient calculated shear capacity. However despite this insufficient calculated capacity, these bridge girders have been found to function adequately in service with minimal signs of distress. The objective of this research was to investigate the actual in service capacity of prestressed concrete girders that have been in service over an extended period of time.

The design of prestressed concrete bridge girders has changed significantly over the past several decades. Specifically, the design procedure to calculate the shear capacity of bridge girders that was used forty years ago is very different than those procedures that are recommended in the current AASHTO LRFD Specifications. As a result, many bridge girders that were built forty years ago do not meet current design standards, and in some cases warrant replacement due to insufficient calculated shear capacity. However, despite this insufficient calculated capacity, these bridge girders have been found to function adequately in service with minimal signs of distress. The objective of this research was to investigate the actual in service capacity of prestressed concrete girders that have been in service over an extended period of time. The actual capacity was compared with calculated values using the AASHTO LRFD Specifications.

This report establishes a user's manual for the acceptance, repair, or rejection of precast/prestressed concrete girders with longitudinal web cracking. The report also proposes revisions to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and provides recommendations to develop improved crack control reinforcement details for use in new girders. The material in this report will be of immediate interest to bridge engineers.