Development of steel design details and selection criteria for cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado

This research focuses on finding a method for creating cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado. The design method that was discovered to create this cost efficiency was designing the beams as simply supported for non-composite dead loads, beam weight and wet concrete, and then making the beams continuous at the pier for composite dead loads and live loads. This method eliminates the need for an expensive field splice and simplifies design details at the interior support, creating cost savings.