Bridge Design Manual

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) LRFD Bridge Design Manual (BDM) provides the policies and procedures currently in effect for the design, rehabilitation, and repair of bridges and other highway structures that are within CDOT right-of-way (ROW) and for projects that use federal or state funds. This BDM is also recommended as best practice for any Colorado project that does not contain federal or state funds. This BDM presents the minimum requirements for structure projects including the structural staff, submittals, design and construction specifications, and project processes. The BDM shall be applied to structures that require special design (i.e., modified from the CDOT M & S Standards) with the exceptions noted in Part I Exceptions, Number 5. The Examples provided are intended to provide common examples associated with bridge and structure design. They do not provide the full design requirements for structure design or analysis and the designer should finish all additional calculations and code checks to accomplish the full evaluation and analysis for the structure.