FHWA'S Bridge Temporary Works Research Program

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed a research program to address bridge falsework design and construction. This resulted from the collapse of the Route 198 bridge over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway on August 31, 1989, when it was determined that existing procedures for design and construction of bridge falsework were at best, suspect. Since the Route 198 collapse other collapses have occurred. The FHWA established the Scaffolding, Shoring, and Forming Task Group to develop and guide the program. The Task Group includes representatives from the Federal and State governments and private industry, and has recognized the following areas as priorities: Survey existing specifications, synthesize them and find any gaps. Establish a standard construction specification dealing with bridge temporary works. Establish a comprehensive Design Manual on Temporary Works for Bridges. Private industry members of the Task Group will develop recommendations for industry guidelines. Develop a Construction Manual.