The Construction of Precast Segmental Bridge in Rural Area

Construction of bridges in distant area usually suffers the lack of skillful labor and the difficulty in delivery of long-span precast segments, causing unsatisfactory performance of bridges. To remove this drawback, the Department of Rural Roads (DRR) has been introduced the precast segmental construction. A part of a bridge across Kam River in Sakonnakorn Province was designed and built with this concept so that the construction procedure, materials, equipments, and obstacles can be clarified. Segments of the bridge components, such as piers, cap beams, girders, footpaths, and guardrails, were cast in a well quality-controlled casting yard. Then, they were delivery by medium trucks to be assembled and installed at the construction site. During construction, quality control in every step is mandatory. The construction procedure will be described in this paper. It was proved that the precast segmental method can reduce the construction period on site significantly and improve construction quality efficiently. And, the precast segmental construction is appropriate for the construction in emergency situation or in the threatened area. Furthermore, if the amount of segments is enough, budget of the construction will be saved.