A Review of Precast, Pre-stressed Concrete Panel Bridge Deck System and a Proposed New Model for Bangladesh

Abstract

Precast pre-stressed concrete panels (PCP) to act as stay-in-place (SIP) deck forms were introduced in the early 1950s by the Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT) as an alternative and economic bridge system. Many countries around the world have successfully implemented the system since then. Traditionally, cast in place concrete has been the primary method for bridge deck construction in all over the world. This method requires large amount time, labor and causes delays in various forms. Moreover, quality control is very difficult. On the other hand, PCP system gives higher quality control, speedy construction, economy and other benefits. This article gives a review of the PCP system worldwide and its potential application with a proposed new PCP bridge deck model.