Which items constitute the load path in a bridge system?

• A. Beams and columns only
• B. Deck, Super, Bearing, Sub, Foundation
• C. Cables and anchors
• D. Deck and foundations only

Answer: (D)

Loads on a bridge begin at the deck, where traffic and other forces are applied, and must travel down to the ground through the structure. The essence of the load path is the route from the deck to the foundations, where those forces are ultimately resisted by the ground. The deck is the source of the load, and the foundations are the endpoint where the load is transferred out of the structure. Other components like the superstructure, bearings, and substructure serve to carry or transmit the load along the way, and cables or anchors are specific to certain bridge types, so they aren’t universal elements of every load path. In the general sense used for understanding how vertical loads move through a typical bridge, focusing on the deck as the starting point and the foundations as the ending point best captures the essential path.