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Recent damaging earthquakes in the United States and abroad have demonstrated xv~E wT)
the earthquake vulnerability of highway bridges that were designed to existing seismic H\<^p",`
codes. To address this inadequate performance, extensive research programs have been OG{vap )
carried out. These programs have advanced the state of the art to the point where a new 1Gh3o}z
specification for seismic design is necessary to take advantage of new insight into m!^z{S
ground motion and geotechnical effects, improved performance criteria, and more f/ tJ>^N5
advanced analytical and design methodologies. qExmf%q:q
The objective of this research was to enhance safety and economy through the );1UbqVPD
development of new load and resistance factor design (LRFD) specifications and commentary MRa
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for the seismic design of bridges. The research considered design philosophy N\W4LO6
and performance criteria, seismic loads and site effects, analysis and modeling, and * Fm #Qek
design requirements. The specifications are nationally applicable with provisions for 4<q'QU#l<
all seismic zones and are intended to be integrated into the AASHTO LRFD Bridge ,&0iFUwN_
Design Specifications. f ]DO2 r
The research was performed by a joint venture of the Applied Technology Council VTs
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and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research. The report T}y@ a^#
fully documents the methodology used to develop the recommended specifications. UCI !>G
The recommended specifications provided the technical basis for a stand-alone set of {O (@}
provisions prepared by the ATC/MCEER Joint Venture titled “Recommended LRFD ` m=u2kxY
Guidelines for the Seismic Design of Highway Bridges.” AASHTO will consider these >;Vy{bL8
provisions for adoption as a Guide Specification in 2002.
