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(logo whooshes)
(dramatic music)

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- [Narrator] During bridge construction,

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several feet on each side not
used for traffic is completed

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to assist in the building process

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and for the safety of workers.

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Researchers from the Center
for Transportation Research

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and the Texas Department of Transportation

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developed guidelines for
precast deck panel systems

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with wire trusses to set standards

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for the next generation of
bridge deck construction.

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- In the state of Texas,

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there is always a desire to
improve construction practices

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with respect to the bridges

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and sort of improve
the construction speed,

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reduce the construction dollars,

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while maintaining or improving

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the safety of the traveling public.

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- Bridge construction, a
part of it, a big part of it,

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is the construction of of the deck,

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which is essentially the riding surface

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that people drive on.

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A part of the deck are the overhangs,

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which are on either end of of the bridge.

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- You look to your left and
right, you see bridge rails.

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So from rail to rail

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for the entire width of the bridge deck,

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we were looking for a precast solution.

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The overhang portions of the deck

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is where the traditional form
work and overhang brackets

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and all the rest need to be employed

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for us to complete the decks.

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So this was a quest to
look for a solution,

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a precast solution,

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for the overhang portions of the deck.

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We ended up importing a
technology from Europe,

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from Spain in particular,

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where the use of wire trusses

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from interior spans of a deck

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over to the overhanging portion

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and having to support the overhang

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with the wire truss solutions
is what proved to be feasible.

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And with that solution on the table,

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the construction speed of
the bridge decks is improved.

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- With this new technology,

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your panels already include

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the overhang portion of your deck,

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so you eliminate the need

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to install these overhang brackets,

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and you can just go ahead

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and cast the cast-in-place
portion of your deck.

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To TxDOT, it's gonna be a cost savings

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in terms of time is money.

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So the quicker we can
get a deck constructed

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and the more easily we can,

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the less of a cost it is to TxDOT.

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And the faster we can construct a bridge

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and open it up to the public,

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that's the benefit to
the traveling public.

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- [Narrator] For more information

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and to find the publication
for this project,

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please visit the TxDOT Research Library

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at the link shown below.