As with many other applications that have been developed using Reinforced Earth\u00ae MSE walls<\/a>, constructing bridge abutments with Reinforced Earth\u00ae<\/a> was conceived by engineers early on.<\/h2>\nEarly R&D quickly advanced applications for road and railway construction. Now 50 years later, having MSE abutments in service at thousands of projects on five continents, innovations and improvements for using this technique are still advancing. The MSE abutment solution is now regularly used for building three different types of bridge abutments, described below:<\/p>\n
\n- \u201cTrue\u201d or \u201cPure\u201d abutments:<\/strong> the most optimal solution when highly competent foundations exist. The primary bridge structure is founded on a spread footing directly supported by a reinforced soil retaining structure, absent piles.<\/li>\n
- Mixed Abutments:<\/strong> the most common type of MSE abutment being a bridge structure founded on a footing on piles with a reinforced soil retaining structure providing earth retention only.<\/li>\n
- Integral Abutments:<\/strong> a result of ongoing development, an integral bridge abutment is modeled as a monolithic structure. The support beams and abutment are joint-free, without bearings to support the bridge deck, resulting in maintenance cost savings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
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