Current and Future Trends in Bridge Seismic Retrofit

A brief and general overview of some of the more critical issues in seismic retrofit of bridges is presented. It is shown through an example that technical considerations alone do not necessarily determine the method by which a structure is retrofitted. Some of the research projects involving large-scale testing of bridge components and sub-assemblages are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on retrofit of superstructures, single columns, and twocolumn bents. Results demonstrating the effectiveness of different retrofit techniques are summarized and field implementation is discussed.