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. Now available in both steel and aluminum, these systems are available in a variety of shapes that include both structures with inverts, such as round, pipe-arch and ellipse shapes as well as open bottom structures such as single and multiple radii arches and box culverts.

In the late 1960’s developments were made involving the addition of longitudinal and circumferential stiffening members to conventional structural steel 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 of over 1000 ft².

The tremendous popularity and performance of these larger span structures has led to national specifications written by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). In the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Section 12, structural steel plate systems with a top radius of greater than 13’ are defined as “long span structures”.

As a service to the industry Lane Enterprises created LONG SPAN BRIDGE & CULVERT (LSB&C) to provide engineering and field services associated with the design and use of structural plate structures. LSB&C is available to provide initial consultation services at the beginning of a project and will provide final certified design services to allow for obtaining all required regulatory approvals. Additionally, LSB&C can provide assembly services and shape monitoring during the backfilling of structures.

Working with LSB&C clients can choose from a variety of culvert material and end wall structure types to ensure a completed project that most appropriately meets their structural and aesthetic requirements.

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