LT-bridge Construction Method for the Material-saving and Fast Construction of Post-tensioned Concrete Bridges

Owners of bridges in the Danube Basin will face enormous challenges in the coming years because many bridges need to be renovated or rebuilt. They can either not withstand the current loads or have developed durability problems. Discussions with owners have shown that rapid construction progress is crucial for bridge replacements. The construction sites should disrupt the normal traffic flow as little as possible. As a result, a new, resource-saving, and fast construction method for bridges has been developed at TU Wien. Innovative prefabricated elements for the longitudinal girders and the deck slab were designed to fulfill these requirements. The prefabricated elements are connected by reinforcement and an in-situ concrete layer at the construction site. A comparison of the environmental impact based on the construction materials (life cycle phases A1–A3) between a construction section of an LT-bridge and a typical German motorway bridge shows a much lower global warming potential for the new bridge construction method due to the savings in construction materials in comparison to a conventional post-tensioned concrete bridge with in-situ concrete.