General Design Consideration of

Bridges
Indian Road Congress Bridge code
IRC 5 Section I General features of design
IRC 6 Section II Loads and stress
IRC 112 Section III Concrete Road Bridges
IRC 22 Section IV Composite Construction
IRC 24 Section V Steel road Bridges
 Section I
General features of design
Scope:

General features of design of road bridges and recommendations

Section I
Minor Bridge

Total length up to 60m

Major Bridge

Total length above 60m

101 Definitions
Culverts: Total length of
6m or less between inner
face of the drit walls.

Foot Bridge: Carrying

pedestrians, cycles and
animals

High level Bridges: Road

way above High flood
level
 Cont.,
Submersible Bridge: Bridge
designed to be overtopped during
floods

Clearance: shortest distance

between two boundaries at specified
position of the bridges

Freeboard: Any point difference

between highest flood level after
allowing afflux and formation level
of the road
 Cont.,
Highest Flood level (HFL):
Highest flood ever recorded or
calculated level of designed
discharge

Low water level (LWL): Generally

in dry season and shall be specified
in case of each bridges

Length of Bridge: Overall length

measured along center line of the
bridge between inner face of drit
walls
 Cont.,
Safety Kerb: Roadway kerb for
occasional use of pedestrian traffic

Width of Carriageway :
Minimum clear width measured at
right angles to the longitudinal
centre line of the bridge between
the inside faces of roadway kerbs
or wheel guards
Super Elevation (Cant or Banking): Transverse inclination
given to the cross-section of a carriageway on a horizontal
curve in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force on a
moving vehicle
102 General Data including Maps, Plans and
Topographical Features

An index map to small scale showing the proposed line

of bridge

A contour survey plan of upstream and downstream -the

topographical features – required for proposed sites
102.4 Geological and Seismological Data Required for Bridge Site
Selection

Sub-surface Data

Environmental Data

Loading and Other Data

105 Spacing and location of piers and
abutments

To provide the most economical design of the bridge

 106 Vertical Clearance
 The minimum vertical clearance shall be 5.5 m for road over bridges
112 Width of Carriage way, footpath and median
Minimum 4.25 m for a single lane bridge

7.5 m for a two-lane bridge and to be increased by 3.5 m for every

additional lane

Three-lane bridges with two directional traffic not be constructed

The width of central/ verge/median minimum of 1.2 metres

Footpath Minimum width is 1.5 metres

Large concentration of pedestrian traffic, the width of the footpath

shall be suitably increased
Thank you