National Center for Wood Transportation Structures

About the research

This project is a task order under the main Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-sponsored project, “Infrastructure Research and Technology Deployment Program.”

This Guide provides bridge engineers and owners with general information and typical details to help standardize orthotropic steel deck (OSD) bridge design/fabrication to make it more competitive. This document does not intend to set a national standard but to help inform the effort through reduced parametric variations.

OSD bridges can be either closed- or open-rib systems, and this Guide begins with background information regarding OSD bridge design.

General considerations with respect to OSD bridges are discussed, followed by specific instructions for closed- and open-rib systems including rib geometry, size, and fabrication methods. Suggestions for deck plate selection are provided followed by a discussion of wearing surface types and selection considerations. Lastly, suggestions for floorbeam/diaphragm design are provided.

Throughout the document, short summaries on the performance of several in-service OSD bridges are provided.