Protocols for Collecting and Using Traffic Data in Bridge Design

Book excerpt: TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 683: Protocols for Collecting and Using Traffic Data in Bridge Design explores a set of protocols and methodologies for using available recent truck traffic data to develop and calibrate vehicular loads for superstructure design, fatigue design, deck design, and design for overload permits. The protocols are geared to address the collection, processing, and use of national weigh-in-motion (WIM) data. The report also gives practical examples of implementing these protocols with recent national WIM data drawn from states/sites around the country with different traffic exposures, load spectra, and truck configurations. The material in this report will be of immediate interest to bridge engineers. This report replaces NCHRP Web-Only Document 135: Protocols for Collecting and Using Traffic Data in Bridge Design. Appendices A through F for NCHRP Report 683 are available only online.