Performance of the two integral bridges forming the A62 Manchester Road Overbridge

BA42 (DMRB 1.3) gives advice on the design pressures relevant to three main classes of integral abutment, ie shallow height, full height portal frames and embedded wall abutments. Field measurements on a shallow height abutment have been previously reported, however few data are available on the performance of full height abutments. This study reports on the performance of two full height integral bridges of about 40m span over the Manchester Outer Ring Road. One of the bridges (Phase 2) was constructed with contiguous bored pile abutments founded in glacial till. The other bridge (Phase 1) was a more conventional portal frame structure with the abutments retaining granular backfill. This report describes field measurements during construction and over the first two years in service.