Short Span Steel Bridges 
Steel Story – FF Journal
Excerpt from FF Journal
– Written by Lynn Stanley, Senior Editor
Poised for an infusion of cash, America’s infrastructure looks to new steel materials, products and technologies for low maintenance, lightweight solutions that are quick to install
It took 7.6 million lbs. of steel, 2,000 men and 2,200 days of on-site labor to complete the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937. A $25 million grant from President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program made construction possible for what is still considered an engineering marvel. Annual tolls and fees averaging $145 million help offset the Golden Gate’s yearly $85 million maintenance bill.
For state and local bridge owners across the nation, the weight of maintenance demands has grown increasingly burdensome. It’s a story The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been telling since 1988 when it issued its first quadrennial Infrastructure Report Card. The nation’s latest marks, posted in 2021, tallied a C-. The bridge category scored a C. The U.S. has a total of 617,000 bridges. According to ASCE, 42 percent of those bridges are at least 50 years old, with 46,154 flagged as structurally deficient.
“We need these structures to transport billions of tons in freight from coast to coast,” says Dan Snyder, senior director, business development for the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and director of the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA). “Commuters, school buses and truckers make 178 million trips across structurally deficient bridges every day.”
Does steel provide an economical solution for bridge construction?
- Due to the light weight of steel, cost savings can be significant
- Studies show that weathering, A1010 (A709-50CR), and galvanized steel reduces both initial and life cycle costs.
- Steel can compete and even save costs when compared with nearly identical concrete structures. re.
- Steel bridges also have long lives, decreasing the need for replacement.
- Steel’s high strength permits longer spans, minimizing disruption to underlying habitats.
- Steel is highly resistant to extreme natural disasters such as earthquakes.
- Steel is the world’s most recycled material and is infinitely recyclable.
- Short span steel bridges can be designed with prefabricated elements which provide a simpler installation and cost savings.
Education
Steel Bridges for Smarter, Faster Construction – On-Demand Steel Bridge Video Series
This three-part on-demand video series covers integral abutments, simple for dead continuous for live designs and prefabricated bridge options.
Case Study
Bridges of Franklin County: Why Missouri is Turning to Steel
Franklin County, Missouri, saved $283,000 by selecting steel over concrete for four short-span bridge projects, demonstrating that simplified designs combined with a competitive bidding process can deliver exceptional value, durability and long-term performance.
Decks
Pennsylvania County Selects Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel for Urgent Bridge Project
For a recent bridge replacement, Mercer County chose a hot-dip galvanized steel bridge to ensure a durable, cost-effective solution that could be delivered quickly and withstand a corrosive environment.