InTrans / Aug 14, 2018
Field Performance of Timber Bridges: 15. Pueblo County, Colorado, Stress-Laminated Deck Bridge
The Pueblo County 204B bridge was constructed in March
1990 in Pueblo, Colorado, as a demonstration bridge under the USDA Forest Service Timber Bridge Initiative. The stress-laminated deck superstructure is approximately 10 m long, 9 m wide, and 406 mm deep, with a skew of 10 degrees. Performance monitoring was conducted for 3 years, beginning at installation, and involved gathering data on the moisture content of the wood deck, the force level of the stressing bars, the behavior of the bridge under static load conditions, and the overall condition of the structure. In addition, long-term performance data were gathered on the force level of the stressing bars 6 years after installation. Based on monitoring evaluations, the bridge is performing well, with some crushing of the bearing plates into the outside laminations but no other structural or serviceability deficiencies.