Harmonization of Execution Codes: Overview of Standardization for US Transportation

"Abstract Piling and deep foundations are a staple for transportation projects in the United States (US). Driven or bored piles have been used for everything from support of bridge foundations and retaining structures to support of culverts and embankments on soft ground. Deep foundations have been popular in the US transportation market to better handle large axial and lateral loads, extreme event loading, and to better control structure movement. However, there are challenges in the maintenance of design and construction codes in transportation for consistent and reliable structure foundation elements. A significant amount of effort continues in the US to maintain national codes and specifications at a level consistent with the state of practice, and identify and conduct research for providing safe and cost effective highway structures.IntroductionThe transportation sector in the United States has a hierarchy of design and construction codes that are used for the specification of piling and deep foundations. Any highway or bridge project on the National Highway System (NHS) must be designed and constructed in accordance with a national set of standards approved by the State Highway Departments, and that are acceptable to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). However, in any jurisdiction, exceptions are permitted with approval. Therefore, design may be governed by the national standard specification, a state standard specification and design manuals, special provisions, or guideline specifications. Any of these standards, or a combination, may be used depending on the needs of the owner agency.The FHWA and the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have worked together in the development and maintenance of geotechnical design and construction guidance and codes that support the surface transportation community. General geotechnical engineering practice in the United States lacks a singular, national design and construction code that addresses all aspects of geotechnical engineering. As a result, the AASHTO specifications provide the most complete geotechnical specifications focusing on structure foundations, retaining walls, and buried structures for surface transportation applications. This includes piling and deep foundation types commonly used for support of bridges and transportation structures.The FHWA National Geotechnical Team has published several technical guidance documents that include guideline specifications for the design and construction of driven and bored deep foundations. Reference documents published by FHWA summarize the state of practice and provide recommended design and construction guidance. These reference documents have long served as a basis for provisions included in the AASHTO specifications. Maintenance of the design code and specification, and related guidance documents for consistent use on US transportation projects requires a collaborative effort between industry, FHWA, and the member state highway departments that make up AASHTO."