For over 70 years steel structural plate has been used to produce tens of thousands of field assembled bridge, culvert and tunnel systems throughout the United States . These systems, which include shapes such as round, pipe-arch, single radius arch and ellipse continue to serve as the benchmark for the nation's small bridge market.

In the late 1960's, developments were made involving the addition of longitudinal and circumferential stiffening members to conventional 6"x 2" steel structural plate. These special features permitted the use of larger sizes and increased permissible dead and live load combinations. This concept has made it possible to design long span bridges with spans close to 60 feet and clear areas over 1000 ft².

Since their inception several thousand long span structural plate bridges have been built worldwide. The tremendous popularity and performance of long span bridge systems has led to a national specification written by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).  Standard Specifications Section 12 for Highway Bridges provides geometric and structural design guidelines for the specifying engineer. Long span's are available in unique shapes and offer a variety of aesthetic and economic end treatments to compliment any project.

For more information please visit LongSpan Bridge and Culvert's website.