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About:
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Lower construction costs compared with other materials helps save money for municipal governments. Faster construction reduces traffic and business disruption.
Steel bridges last longer than other types, which means they don’t have to be replaced as quickly. Steel components require less maintenance and don’t need to be replaced as often.
Steel is highly adaptable to different climates and geographic conditions. The relative lightness of steel compared with other materials reduces energy use during delivery and construction.
Steel components are less likely to be damaged during extreme events like hurricanes and earthquakes. Steel components are used to transmit critical utility services across bridges.
Steel has a remarkably high strength-to-weight ratio. This minimizes the weight of bridge superstructures, which reduces the cost of building the substructures that support them.
One of the biggest advantages of steel is weight savings, which means lower erection costs, since the bridge pieces can be handled with lighter equipment. In addition, for the same span and load, a steel girder requires less depth than a concrete girder, which can be helpful when constrained by vertical clearance requirements.
Generally, it’s easier to make spans continuous for both live and dead loads and to develop composite action with steel designs rather than with concrete ones.
It’s easier to inspect and determine the structural state of a steel bridge where all the components are visible. The long-term durability and cost effectiveness of steel bridges will be further enhanced by the use of high performance steels with weathering capabilities.
Steel permits cost-effective longer spans for crossing streams, lakes, wetlands, and environmentally protected areas. The long spans may eliminate or at least minimize environmental impact.
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