From:

Jamie Farris, P.E., Director, Bridge Division

Effective Date:

July 29, 2026

The TxDOT

Bridge and Structures Design Manual

documents the policy on bridge, culvert and inlet, and ancillary structure design in Texas. It assists Texas bridge designers in applying provisions documented in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, to which designers should adhere unless directed otherwise by this document.

This manual is a new document, as it merges the

Bridge Design Manual-LRFD

and the

Bridge Design Guide

. It contains policy language as well as commentary language to provide guidance and background information.

Updates consist of the following: reorganized the contents, added 3D Modeling requirements (Section 2.2), updated post letting alternate designs requirements (Section 2.6), added bridge geometry requirements (Section 4.2 and the various beam types in Chapter 5), added curved bar nodes (Section 4.13), reorganized pretensioned beam design requirements (Section 5.3), added requirement of diaphragms for spliced girders (5.4.1), updated segmental requirements (Section 5.4.2), revised steel beam bracing and split-pipe stiffener requirements (Section 5.6), added steel trapezoidal box girders (Section 5.6.3), reorganized substructure section (Chapter 6), added footing requirements (Section 6.4), added ancillary structures requirements (Chapter 8), revised the U beam design example to be an X beam design example (Appendix B), and added Lean-on Bracing Guide (Appendix D).

Supersedes

This revision supersedes version 2024-1 (September 2024) of the and version 2023-1 (January 2023) of the

Bridge Design Guide

.

For more information about any portion of this manual, please contact the Design Section Director of the Bridge Division.

Past Manual notices are available in a .