AASHTO HBSLD-1: 2020 [pdf]

Guide Specification for Service Life Design of Highway Bridges, 1st Edition (AASHTO HBSLD-1)

This guide provides actionable design recommendations for agencies aiming to implement service life design principles in bridge construction. It integrates quantitative approaches with proven deemed-to-satisfy provisions into a single, comprehensive national design document, while establishing a flexible framework that can evolve with advancements in deterioration modeling.

Why This Guide?

Recent industry shifts emphasize long-term performance expectations for bridges, pushing beyond traditional strength and serviceability requirements. The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications now call for durability-focused limit states—a concept not yet explicitly defined in North American codes but addressed through deemed-to-satisfy requirements.

Over the past decades, research—including NCHRP Project 12-108—has identified specific durability limit states and developed rational, quantitative methods to incorporate them into the design phase. This guide consolidates service life guidance from:

• AASHTO, FHWA, NCHRP
• SHRP2 (Strategic Highway Research Program 2)
• National and state-sponsored studies

to help engineers proactively design bridges for longevity and resilience.

Key Benefits

• Enhanced durability: Moves beyond prescriptive rules to quantitative, performance-based design.
• Future-ready framework: Adapts to new deterioration models and emerging research.
• National consistency: Provides a unified approach for agencies across North America.
• Long-term cost savings: Reduces lifecycle costs by minimizing maintenance and repairs.

AASHTO HBSLD-1, 9781560517412, HBSLD-1