Bridge Construction Design

As technology has improved, a number of new bridge designs have been developed to make bridges lighter, more efficient and safer. Bridge construction design, which has never been a simple process, has become a highly advanced science. Cantilever bridges, arch bridges, and suspension bridges are some of the newer kinds of designs that have been developed over the past century. Most steps in the bridge construction design process are now done with computer assistance, as three-dimensional models can help ensure the design can withhold the stresses placed on it.

During the traditional design/bid/build process, the bridge construction design is solely the responsibility of the architect, who is hired by the property owner. Once the bridge construction design is accepted, the construction project is put out for bid for contractors. The contractor, once selected, has no say in the design.

In the design-build process, the bridge construction design process needed is more involved. In this process, an architect and general contractor combine as a team and present a building or project design and construction contractor services in one proposal. The design-build process is used by those who believe an architect-contactor team with a past history of working together would be more efficient and, as a result, cheaper than an architect and contractor working together for the first time. The collaboration here might mean a lower construction cost, but the design-build team may also overestimate their abilities, leading to cost overruns.

The bridge construction design process used as part of a construction manager at-risk (CM at-risk) project falls in between the two. The architect is hired separately from the general contractor, but the contractor is involved in the project from the pre-construction process all the way through completion. The estimate comes in the form of a guaranteed maximum price, which covers all services rendered from pre-construction through the building process.

The bridge construction design selected will depend greatly on the geographic location of the bridge. Once that design is established, construction work can begin rapidly. The complexity of construction, like the design, can vary from one bridge to another.

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ExxonMobil is an American gas, and oil company. It became a company in late 1999 when two oil companies merged into one. Exxon and Mobil. The company descended from the former Standard Oil company founded by John D Rockefeller. The merger of Exxon and Mobil to...

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