The bridge design editor allows the user to enter or modify bridge data quickly and conveniently. With this editor the user can enter the deck/roadway data, sloping abutments, and pier information. To put together a bridge with this editor, the user would do the following:
- From the Geometric Data window, open the Bridge/Culvert data editor. Select the River and Reach in which you would like to place the bridge.
- Go to the Options menu and select Add a Bridge and/or Culvert from the list. An input box will appear prompting you to enter a river station identifier for the new bridge.
- Open the Bridge Design editor by pressing the Bridge Design button on the lower left side of the Bridge/Culvert Data editor.
- Enter the required data for the bridge deck/roadway, sloping abutments (optional), and piers (optional).
When the Bridge Design button is pressed, a window will appear as shown in Figure 5-22. The user only has to enter a minimal amount of information to build or edit the bridge. To create the bridge deck/roadway, the user must enter a high cord elevation (top of road) and a low cord elevation (maximum elevation inside of the bridge opening).
Figure 5 22 Bridge Design Editor
The user has the option to limit the width of the bridge opening by selecting the Add Vertical Walls in Deck option. When this option is selected, the bridge opening will be limited to either the main channel bank stations (this is the default) or a user specified width (this is optional). Everything left and right of the bridge opening will be completely filled in all the way to the ground elevations. If the user enters a bridge opening width, the opening will be centered between the main channel bank stations.
The user also has the option to enter sloping abutments. Sloping abutments should only be entered after selecting to limit the width of the bridge opening with the vertical walls option. To enter sloping abutments, the user only has to enter a slope in units of horizontal to vertical. The program will automatically build a left and right sloping abutment that starts in the upper left and right corners of the bridge opening.
Once all of the bridge deck/roadway information is entered, the user can have the program build the deck/roadway by pressing the Make Deck/Roadway button.
The last option available in the Bridge Design editor is to enter pier information. The user enters the number of piers, the upstream and downstream stationing of the left most pier, the spacing between the centerline of the piers, and the width of the piers. The user then presses the Make Piers button to have the interface build the piers.
After all of the bridge data are entered, the user presses the Close button to get out of the editor. The bridge data can be changed at any time by either going back into the Bridge Design editor and entering new values, or by going to the more detailed editors for the bridge deck/roadway, sloping abutments, and piers.