scope:

INTRODUCTION: This Division of the Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges includes the basic technical construction specifications needed for the construction of bridges and other major transportation structures. They generally represent current practices in the United States and are consistent with the AASHTO Design Specifications for Bridges which are contained in Division I. They are provided to be used either as part of the specifications for projects or as a guide for agencies in developing their own standards. When so used, uniformity and the efficiencies associated therewith may be realized.

These technical specifications do not include the clauses needed for the administration of a contract and were written to be used in conjunction with general provisions such as those in the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Highway Construction. Other comparable sets of general provision clauses currently in use by many States can also be used to cover the administration requirements for construction contracts. The Guide Specifications and these Standard Specifications are intended to be complementary and to provide for the principal and most widely used items of work required for the construction of major transportation structures. Note that these specifications do not identify the date of specifications, which are included by reference, such as the AASHTO Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Testing and Sampling. As required by the AASHTO Guide Specification, the edition of such specifications incorporated by reference will be the edition in effect on the date of advertisement for proposals for the project.

Sufficient detail may not be included in these specifications to suit local or unusual conditions or unique designs. The many differences in climate, geology, customs, statutes and regulations prevent the writing of a more detailed national construction specification. Therefore, the user is expected to supplement or alter the requirements of these specifications, as needed, in the project special provisions. A Commentary is provided to assist the user in developing such special provisions.

These specifications were extensively revised under NCHRP 12-34 in 1989 and approved by AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures in 1990.