What is Accelerated Bridge Construction or ABC

For over twenty years now the construction industry has shifted into using the accelerated bridge construction approach, which involves using prefabricated road and bridges elements. Once prefabrication of elements is completed offsite, they can be slid and moved into place quickly to reduce inconvenience to the public and also enhance the safety of construction workers. The prefabricated bridges components undergo quality controls before they are transported to the site for assemblage. The use of accelerated bridge construction is now employed all over the world for the construction of malls, houses, and for construction of roads and bridges because of all the benefits associated with it which include, improvement of workers’ safety, the overall quality and reduction of inconvenience to the general public. From the perspective of the client, accelerated bridge construction may require a change in how projects are approached and justified.

A very good advantage of employing ABC is to reduce mobility impacts or better still reduce traffic flow, this is because the flow of transportation network and the general safety of road users are linked directly to the impact of the activities associated with onsite construction. Onsite construction has been associated with significant social impacts on safety and mobility. In several cases, the direct and indirect costs of traffic detours which may arise from the loss of a bridge during construction are sometimes greater than the actual cost of constructing the structure itself. Although, other good reasons to use ABC have to do with site constructability issues. Most times, the ABC approach can provide solutions that are economical and more practical compared to solutions provided by conventional construction methods which are associated with costly use of temporary structure, long detours, long construction duration, and the use of remote site locations during construction.

Learn more about how off-site construction methods, like those used for ABC projects, improve time spent and safety on construction sites. 

Precast and ABC Methods

Precast are great choice for accelerated bridge construction due to their accelerated construction, versatility, resiliency, and their high degree of quality. Precast are usually constructed off site , they can be easily installed on sites, and they require less future maintenance due to the quality control the pass through off site. 

Types of Precast Components Used with ABC

Some of the precast components used in accelerated bridge construction include those below. Click on each to learn more about each component.