The development of live load for long span bridges

The available live load models were developed for short and medium span bridges. This paper deals with the development of live load for long span structures. Loads are considered as random variables, with regard to magnitude and frequency of occurrence. In contrast to short and medium spans, a long span live load must include the multiple trucks being present. Based on the analysis of traffic records (weigh-in-motion and videos) taken on selected bridges, the design live load has been developed and a recommended design live load has been formulated for consideration in the bridge design code.