All structures - both state and local - that have the Type Selection meeting held on or after October 1, 2006 must be designed using the new LRFD specifications. Currently the primary design specification for California structures consists of the following:

UPDATES:

December 7, 2011:
The California Amendments Sections 2-6 and 10-13 were revised. A comprehensive list of all the Amendments can be found in the Preface. Please see the 2011 Implementaion Memo on the California Amendments page for more information.

September 28, 2010:
The LRFD specifications were updated to include earth retaining systems, abutments, and underground structures. Updates have been made to Sections 11 and 12 of the California Amendments and a comprehensive list of all the Amendments can be found in the Preface. Please see the 2010 Implementaion Memo on the California Amendments page for more information.

The Seismic Design Criteria will continue to be the governing specification for the seismic design of structures. Other Caltrans manuals that govern structure design such as Bridge Design Aids and Bridge Memos to Designers will eventually be updated in order of importance to design production. The Bridge Design Practice manual will eventually be rewritten.

Bridge decks and soffits will be designed per the new Memo to Designers 10-20.

As stated in the CA Amendments section 10.5.1 foundations for intermediate supports are to be designed using LRFD. This means that the entire bent/pier system - cap, columns/pier, footing, and foundation soil or piles, are to be designed using LRFD. CA Amendments sections 10.5.1 and 11.5.1 state that abutments are to be designed using SLD and the Caltrans Bridge Design Specifications dated April 2000. Current Caltrans design practice is to design the entire abutment using SLD with the loads obtained from the new HL93 load group.

The General Notes will state which elements of the structure are designed by the old specifications and which are designed by the new. The proper format of the General Notes is shown in Memo to Designers 1-47.

Following are links to documents issued by the Federal Highway Administration and the California Department of Transportation ordering the implementation of the LRFD Specifications.