ACCELERATED BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION WITH
FOLDED STEEL PLATE GIRDERS
Dr. Subramanian NARAYANAN
Consulting Engineer
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
USA
drnsmani@gmail.com
Summary
The recent infrastructure report card of the American
Society of Civil Engineers showed that several bridges
have reached their useful service life and have to be
replaced. This scenario is true in all parts of the world,
as most of the bridges, built 50 or more number of
years ago, are under severe distress, and require
extensive repair/rehabilitation or even replacement.
As these bridges are under service, there is an
urgent need to adopt accelerated bridge construction
practices, to avoid economic loss and also reduce
the hardship to those who are using these bridges.
To solve this problem, the Short Span Steel Bridge
Alliance (SSSBA), USA organized the Modular Steel
Bridge Task Group and several solutions emerged
from this group. Out of these, two innovative systems,
namely, the Folded Plate Girder (FSPG) System and
the Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders System are
discussed. Both are similar composite construction
techniques and offer several advantages. They are
also sustainable and have better life-cycle costs and
durability, as welding is minimized. As they are
fabricated completely in the factory and erected at
site in a few hours, they are best suited for accelerated
bridge construction. They provide an efficient solution
to the problem of replacing the ageing bridges all over
the world.
94 Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
Dr. N. Subramanian earned his PhD
from IIT, Madras in 1978. He worked in
Germany as Alexander von Humboldt
Fellow during 1980-82 and 1984. He
has 40 years of professional experience
which includes teaching, research, and
consultancy in India and abroad. Dr.
Subramanian has authored 25 books
and more than 240 technical papers,
published in International and Indian
journals and conferences. He has won
the Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI),
the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award, and
the ACCE(I)-Nagadi best book award
for three of his books. He served as
the past National Vice-President of
ICI and ACCE(I). He is also in the
editorial/review committee of several
journals.
Key words: Accelerated Bridge Construction; Folded
Plate Girder (FSPG) System; Press-brake-formed
tub girder; Composite girder, innovative design;
Sustainability; Life cycle cost.
1. Introduction
According to the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card
of the American Society of Civil Engineers, bridges
get a C+ grade, roads receive a D, and America’s
overall infrastructure rating is a D+, the same grade
given in 2013. As per this report card, the U.S. has
614,387 bridges, and four in 10 are 50 years or older.
In addition, about 56,007, i.e., 9.1% of these bridges,
were structurally deficient in 2016, and on an average
there were 188 million trips across a structurally
deficient bridge each day. While the number of
structurally deficient bridges is decreasing in USA
due to the replacement of deteriorating bridges, the
average age of America’s bridges keeps going up and
many of them are approaching the end of their design
life (the average age increased marginally, from 42
to 43 years). The backlog of bridge rehabilitation in
USA alone is estimated at $123 billion. These facts
outline the importance of repairing and replacing
aging bridges all over the world. Though such a report
is not available in India, the situation in India may
be similar or even worse, due to several factors, such
The Bridge and Structural Engineer
as poor maintenance and non-adherence of quality in The Simple for Dead Load and Continuous for Live
construction practices. In 2009, the Federal Highway Load system (which is a special bridge construction
Administration (FHWA) challenged the North process rather than an application of special bridge
American steel industry to develop alternatives that elements), again developed by Prof. Azizinamini and
are economical, have long service life with minimal associates (Azizinamini, 2014). It involves placing
maintenance, and meet the needs of the industry,
simple span steel members across the piers initially
including Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC).
but adding the required concrete diaphragm later in
To develop ideas to meet this challenge, the Short construction to create a continuous structural system.
Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) organized the An example of the simple for dead load and continuous
Modular Steel Bridge Task Group – consisting of
for live load system is provided in Fig. 2.
30 organizations representing the SSSBA, Steel
Market Development Institute, National Steel Bridge
Alliance, National Association of County Engineers,
steel bridge fabricators, University faculty members,
steel manufacturers, government organizations,
and bridge owners. This group developed several
solutions based on sound research and development
and extensive testing conducted in universities. Some
of these solutions are as given below [see Ref. 7]:
The Inverset™ system developed by M/s Amcrete
Products, Inc., in which the superstructure and the
decking surface, is cast upside-down suspended
from wide flange steel girders, causing a prestressing
effect in the steel girders, and when the section is
turned upright for placement, the deck will be in a
compressive state. An example of an Inverset™
Bridge system is provided in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 : The Simple for Dead Load and Continuous for Live
Load System (Source: Ref. 7)

The Pre-topped Girder Section- This prefabricated

Fig. 1 : The Inverset™ System Developed by M/s Amcrete
Products, Inc. (Source: Ref. 7)
The Folded Plate Girder (FSPG) System, developed
by Prof. Azizinamini and his associates when he was
with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (see Section
2.0 for more details).
The Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders System
(also known as folded plate girder or folded plate),
developed by Prof. Karl Barth and associates of
West Virginia University (see Section 3.0 for more
details).
bridge system includes combinations of superstructure
elements and decks fabricated together before
transporting them to the job-site. This system,
results in faster construction due to the on-site
bolted connections and the lack of field welding.
The details of this system as well as the assembly of
the components at an actual bridge are provided in
Fig. 3.
The modular steel girder/cast-in-place deck system
developed by M/s SDR Engineering Consultants.
This system is similar to the pre-topped girder system
except that the deck is cast at the bridge site. Cold
formed steel plates are attached to the steel girders,
which act as formwork for the bridge deck. Wire
mesh is welded to the cold formed plates to provide
reinforcement for the concrete deck that is poured on
site. The details of this bridge system are shown in
Fig. 4.

The Bridge and Structural Engineer Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017 95

 Fig. 3 : Pretopped Girder System (Source: Ref. 7)
Fig. 4 : The Modular Steel Girder/Cast-in-Place Deck System (Source: Ref. 7)
Acrow Panel Bridging System, also known as the
700XS® System, is a light bridge composed of
large orthotropic deck units and tall truss systems.
The trusses of this type of bridge are 50% taller than
alternate panel bridges and provide 50% greater
bending strength and 20% greater shear strength.
An example of an Acrow Panel Bridge is shown in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5 : The Acrow Panel Bridging System (Source: Ref. 7)
The Railroad Flatcar System, which uses
decommissioned railroad flatcars as the superstructure
of the bridge. This system is basically useful to short
span, low volume county roads. For a single lane
road one flatcar can provide the entire superstructure,
whereas multiple flatcars have to be placed adjacently
96 Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
for wider bridges. An example of bridge using this
system is shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6 : Side View of the Railroad Flatcar Bridge
(Source: Ref. 7)
It was decided in October of 2011 that the shallow steel
press-brake-formed tub girder system provides the
best solution and meets the FHWA goals of economics,
innovation, and ABC practices (Michaelson and Barth,
2017). ABC is not just about accelerating the schedule
at the job site but rather accelerating the entire process
of design, manufacturing and construction. Hence,
only the details of this as well as a similar Folded Steel
Plate Girder (FSPG) System, are discussed further.
2. The Folded Steel Plate Girder (FSPG)
System
The Folded Steel Plate Girder (FSPG) System consists
of inverted tub sections made by cold-bending flat
plates using a break press (see Fig. 7a) and has many
advantages for both steel fabricators (e.g., lighter and
The Bridge and Structural Engineer
more stable configuration, accelerated schedule, and
competitive construction costs) and bridge owners
(e.g., versatility, reduced maintenance and life-
cycle cost, and proven technology). The maximum
span length for this system is currently limited to
about 18 m, reflecting the longest press breaks that
are available in the industry. The depth of the girder
ranges between 425 mm and 890 mm. Design
tables have been developed for the preliminary
girder sizing (see Macey, 2015). The FSPG system
is considered to have “the potential to revolutionize
the short-span bridge market” (Azizinamini, 2009)
and even received AISC Special Achievement award
in 2011.

Fig. 7 : Details of the Folded Steel Plate Girder (FSPG) System

Fabrication of the folded steel plate girder at the 12.5 mm thick plates (A709 Grade 50 steel) using break
factory involves the following five simple steps: press (Fig. 8). This operation takes approximately
Cold bending the steel plates: Cold bending of 10 to 2-3 hours.

Fig. 8 : Cold Bending of Plates to the Required Shape Using a Break Press (Source: Macey, 2015)

Installation of necessary hardware: Welding of Installation of shear studs: welding shear studs may
bearing stiffeners, sole plates and bolting of flange take about a day (Fig. 10).
separators, which takes approximately 1-2 days
(Fig. 9).

The Bridge and Structural Engineer Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017 97

 Fig. 9 : Installation of Necessary Hardware Fig. 10 : Installation of Shear Studs
(Source: Macey, 2015) (Source: Macey, 2015)

Corrosion protection of the girders: Corrosion
protection may be provided either by hot-dip
galvanizing, metalizing, or painting (Fig. 11).
The galvanizing has a guarantee of 25 years and
reduces maintenance over that time frame-to a level
equivalent to or better than that of concrete. It is better
to add removable, galvanized bird screens to the open
bottom of the FSPG girders, which will allow easy
inspection of the girders while still keeping birds and
other critters from nesting inside the bottom flanges.
Instead of such measures, weathering steel could also
be used to prevent corrosion.

Fig. 11 : Corrosion Protection by Hot-Dip Galvanizing (Source: Macey, 2015)

Pre-casting the deck, end diaphragms, and barriers:

This operation could be completed in about one
week (Fig. 12). It has to be noted that the concrete
may be precast off-site or on-site. The neutral axis of
the composite girder is located in top flange or deck.
Concrete end diaphragms accommodate thermal
movement and end rotation. The details of end
diaphragm can be varied based on girder depth and
skew.
All the above mentioned steps could be
completed in the factory in about 4-6 weeks
time and the completed units may be transported
to the site by means of trucks, as shown in Fig. 12 : Precasting of the Deck, End Diaphragms, and Barriers
Fig. 13. (Source: Macey, 2015)

98 Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017 The Bridge and Structural Engineer

 Fig. 13 : Transportation of the Composite Unit
(Source: Macey, 2015)
Typically, a 12 m long folded plate girder with
precast deck will weigh about 10,900 kg. Hence,
a relatively lightweight crane can be used at the
construction site to lift and place them in position,
on elastomeric bearing pads, placed over existing
abutments, as shown in Figs. 7(b), 7(c), and 14. Each
composite girder could be erected at site within an
hour.
Fig. 14 : Erection of Composite Units Over Existing Abutments
(Source: Macey, 2015)
A typical two-lane county type bridge will require
three such folded girder sections placed side-by-
side and connected longitudinally, as shown in
Figs. 14 and 15. These side-by-side placed FSPG
sections are connected using cast in place closure
pours between the concrete slabs as shown in Fig. 15.
Completion of closure pours take approximately 2
hours per joint (Macey, 2015).
The folds in the plates are kept uniform while the
thickness (10 mm or 12.5 mm) and their cross-
sectional dimensions are varied depending on the span
of the bridge. Different top and bottom flange widths
or web depth are obtained just by changing the bend
locations. Hence it is possible for the fabricators to
fabricate the girders for any span from just two plate
thicknesses.
The Bridge and Structural Engineer Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
Fig. 15 : Closure Pours of Side-by-Side Placed FSPG Sections
(Source: Macey, 2015)
The FSPG bridge system has the following advantages
in its design and construction (Azizinamini, 2009 and
Stockhausen, 2017):
1. The inverted tub shape is a stable bridge girder
configuration during fabrication, shipping, and
erection. It also does not require internal or
external cross frames for either local or global
stability. Flange separators provided at regular
intervals, brace the bottom flanges and transmit
lateral loads. Elimination of cross frames
reduces the cost considerably. As welding is
minimized, fatigue and fracture observed in
older steel bridges, is not a concern. In addition,
only conventional equipment and practices are
used for the casting of concrete.
2. The weight of the girders are approximately 1/3
the weight of concrete beams. The system uses
less steel by weight compared with typical ABC
steel stringer construction. Shipping weight and
length reduce hauling permits.
3. The top flange of this system is wide enough
(about 625 to 890 mm) to serve as a work
platform, and help to reduce construction
hazards associated with workers walking on
girders during construction.
4. The system requires only smaller work force and
uses smaller capacity cranes. Hence the overall
cost is competitive with other ABC construction
types.
5. Box girder bridges are very efficient systems and
used already in spans longer than 90 m. The box
sections used in such long span bridges are deep
and hence facilitate internal inspection. However,
in short-span bridges, the required depth of the
box is so small that it prohibits crawling inside
the box for inspection. This is one of the reasons
for not using box girder bridges for short-span
99
 bridges. For this reason, in this system, the box
is made open at the bottom, allowing for easy
inspection.
6. As discussed earlier, the fabrication at the
factory takes relatively short time. Fully
assembled composite units arrive at site and
no field welding or bolting is required. Hence,
this system is amenable for accelerated bridge
construction and the completed bridge may be
opened to traffic within 24 hours of erection.
7. As the folded plate girder has no joints,
minimized fatigue prone details, and provided
with corrosion protection at the factory itself, it
results in a sustainable design and expected to
have a service life of 100 years or more, with
reduced maintenance costs.
Extensive research and development work on this
system was carried out by Prof. Azizinamini and his
associates at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Fig. 16 : Typical Section of the Uxbridge, Massachusetts Bridge
2. A 17.68 m span Primrose East Bridge, in Boone
County, Nebraska was constructed in 2014.
Four pre-topped folded steel plate girders were
erected in just two hours. Closure pours of ultra-
high performance concrete (UHPC) were used,
3. A two-lane, 15.2 m bridge near Bradford,
Pennsylvania was erected in October 2016 in
less than three hours. Closure pours of this bridge
took only a few days, which enabled the bridge
to be reopened in 30 calendar days, five days
ahead of the accelerated, five-week schedule
for the project detour. This is a full month faster
than it would have taken for a conventional cast-
in-situ construction (Stockhausen, 2017), and
4. The bridge in Lewiston, Pennsylvania was
opened to traffic just two weeks later in 2016,
and it took only 2½ hours for the erection. CDR
100 Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
for seven years. Design evaluations were performed
as per AASHTO LRFD specifications to assess the
feasibility of the system. To verify the performance
and capacity of the system, extensive testing as well
as FEM modeling were also carried out by them.
Two companies – CDR Bridge Systems, LLC,
Pittsburgh and High Bridge Solutions (HBS), LLC,
Trenton, NJ - have been granted exclusive distribution
rights to construct FSPG bridge systems. The
following four bridges have already been constructed
using this system:
1. The first bridge was built during 2011 in
Uxbridge, Massachusetts, at a cost 20% less
than the estimated cost of $2 million. It has a
span of 14 m to centerline of abutments and a
width of 10.74 m. Four folded plate girders were
fabricated with an attached precast concrete
slab (See Fig. 16 for the typical section of this
bridge),
Bridge Systems was also able to reduce the total
production time for the Pennsylvania bridges to
as little as 14 weeks, including steel procurement
(Stockhausen, 2017).
University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass)
instrumented and monitored the performance of the
bridge at Uxbridge since construction for twenty
months, with load testing and also did analysis
to present an independent evaluation. Field data
obtained were compared with 2D hand calculations
as well as the results obtained from SAP- 2000 and
ANSYS finite element models with 3D effects and
nonlinear soil-structure interaction (Civjan, et al.,
2014). Stresses in concrete and steel components were
found to be within expected ranges of values during
the service-level loads. Long term data collection and
truck load testing indicated a conservative design of
The Bridge and Structural Engineer
this innovative structure. Through the first two years
of service, no signs of distress were noted and readings
were within the expected range of bridge behavior.
Based on this study, the FSPG system was found to
be an effective system for accelerated construction of
short span bridges (Civjan, et al., 2014).
3. The Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders
System
The Press-brake-formed tub girder system is similar
to the FSPG system, except that the steel trapezoidal
section is placed in the reverse direction as compared
to the FSPG system, as shown in Fig. 17. Similar
Fig. 17 : The Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girder System (Source: Ref. 7)
The system offers several advantages and they are
also similar to the FSPG system: (1) The girder itself
is simple to fabricate, requiring minimal welding, (2)
Because of the system’s modular composite design,
there is a reduced need for additional details such
as stiffeners or cross-frames, and (3) The composite
unit can be easily shipped to the bridge site, allowing
for accelerated construction and reduced traffic
interruptions.
While modular precast concrete decks are
recommended, multiple deck options are available.
Examples include the use of full-depth/partial-depth
precast concrete deck panels, cast-in-place concrete
decks, or more advanced composite decks such as
the Sandwich Plate System (a structural composite
material comprising two metal plates bonded with
a polyurethane elastomer core). Extensive research
and development work on this system was carried out
at West Virginia University. Based on this study, for
each standard plate width and thickness, an optimum
depth of girder was obtained (Michaelson and Barth,
2017). To verify the performance and capacity of the
system, three years of testing (on eight press-brake
tub girder specimens donated by Nucor Corporation,
SSAB Americas, United States Steel Corporation, and
The Bridge and Structural Engineer Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
to the FSPG system, either hot-dipped galvanized
or weathering steel could be used. Once the shape
has been formed using press brakes, shear studs are
welded to the top flanges. A reinforced concrete deck
is then cast on the girder in the fabrication shop and
allowed to cure, and the composite modular unit is
transported to the site. These standard modules are
longitudinally joined at the site using ultra-high
performance concrete (Michaelson and Barth, 2017).
Unlike FSPG system, it is a closed system, since the
girder is closed at the bottom and hence has increased
torsional stiffness.
EVRAZ North America) as well as computer analysis
using FEM modeling were carried out.
Unlike the FSPG system, the press-brake-formed tub
girder system is an open source. The Short Span Steel
Bridge Alliance has developed standardized plans
using standard plate sizes (widths of 1.50, 1.82, 2.13,
2.44, 2.74, and 3.00 m). The designs were developed
to achieve maximum structural capacity. Press-brake-
formed tub girders are versatile for multiple-deck
options. They can be used for both tangent and skewed
configurations, as well as simple and continuous
spans. They are recommended for single spans up to
18 m. Spans may be spliced together to form a multi-
span bridge greater than 18 m.
The Amish Sawmill Bridge located in Fairbank, Iowa
is the first Press-brake-formed tub girder steel bridge
in the USA and was opened to traffic on 8th January
2016 (see Fig. 18). Researchers from West Virginia
University, Marshall University, and the University of
Wyoming monitored and studied the field performance
of this bridge. Two more press-brake-formed tub
girder bridges are scheduled for construction in West
Virginia (Michaelson and Barth, 2017). This system
offers significant cost savings, ease in shipment and
fabrication, accelerated construction and design
101
versatility, and has the potential to replace numerous
short span bridges in future.
Fig. 18 : The Amish Sawmill Bridge, Buchanan County, Iowa
(Source: Ref. 7)
4. Conclusions
The Modular Steel Bridge Task Group formed by
the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance has developed
several alternative bridge systems to meet the
needs of the industry, including Accelerated Bridge
Construction (ABC). Out of these solutions, the
technology of folded steel plate girders is appealing
because it offers significant cost savings, ease of
shipment and fabrication, accelerated construction,
design versatility, and sustainability. In addition to
their reduction in weight, their life-cycle costs are
also competitive. As steel is the world’s most recycled
material, at the end of useful life of these bridges, they
may be transformed into other steel products. With so
many benefits, this technology provides the potential
for accelerated bridge construction, not only in USA
but also throughout the world, and may solve the
challenge of replacing aging critical infrastructure.
Naturally, several state Departments of Transportation
in USA have already expressed interest in building
such steel tub girder bridges in their jurisdictions.
5. Acknowledgements
The photos used in this paper were adopted from the
references given below.
102 Volume 47 │ Number 1 │ March 2017
References
1. Azizinamini, A. (2009). “A New Era for Short-
Span Bridges.” Modern Steel Construction,
American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC),
Sept., 2 pp. www.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-
steel/archives/2009/09/2009v09_new_era.pdf
2. Azizinamini, A. (2014). “Simple for Dead
Load--Continuous for Live Load Steel Bridge
Systems,” Engineering Journal, AISC, Vol. 51,
2nd Quarter, pp. 59-82.
3. Civjan, S.A., Sit, M.H., and Breña, S.F. (2014)
“Field and Analytical Studies of the First Folded
Plate Girder Bridge”, Transportation Research
Board 2014 Annual Meeting on Celebrating Our
Legacy, Anticipating Our Future, Washington,
D.C., Jan.12-16, 19 pp.
4. Macey, M.J. (2015), “Folded Steel Plate Girder
System-Applications in Accelerated Bridge
Construction”, AASHTO SCOBS Technical
Committee for Construction (T-4) Presentation,
Annual Meeting, Apr. 21. http://bridges.
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Matthew%20Macey_FSPG%20-%20CDR%20
Bridge%20Systems.pdf
5. Michaelson, G.K., and Barth, K.E. ( 2017),
“A New Shape for Short Span steel Bridges”,
Structure Magazine, NCSEA/CASE/SEI of
ASCE, Mar. 2017, pp.26-29.
6. Stockhausen, T., “A New Take on Plate Girders”,
Modern Steel Construction, AISC, Vol. 57, No.1,
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7. http://www.shortspansteelbridges.org/steel-
solutions/systems.aspx
The Bridge and Structural Engineer