LOAD RATING OF SALVATION BRIDGE OVER THE WHITE NILE IN KHARTOUM, SUDAN

Abstract

This paper tackles load rating process on one of the most important bridges in Sudan, which is the Salvation Bridge
over the White Nile in Khartoum. The paper reviewed the main load rating types adopted by AASHTO standards.
Design load ratings have been made with respect to AASHTO-LFRD highway live loads. Legal load rating process has
been made using the Sudanese legal loads adopted by National Highway Authority in Sudan. Permit load rating process
has been made using actual special heavy truck used in Sudan during the last 20 years .The rating process has been
made on the assumption that the capacity of the main structural element of the bridge, which is the pre-stressed concrete
box girder, had been decreased with different percentage from zero up to 50%, due to different factors. Suitable
software, CSi Bridge, has been used for calculations and the results are presented. The paper predicted the load rating
factors for the box girder of the bridge- moment wise- for considerable capacity loss in future and suggested several
recommendations to save such vital structure