The objectives of this research were to investigate the behavior of precast prestressed bridge girders made continuous by connections using cast-in-place slabs and diaphragms at the piers, and to develop design procedures and guide specifications that can be used to compute elastic, inelastic, time-dependent, and ultimate moments commensurate with the degree of continuity developed by the connections at piers.

The research was completed and the results are reported in NCHRP Report 322, "Design of Simple-Span Precast Prestressed Bridge Girders Made Continuous." The report includes recommendations for positive and negative moment steel at the continuity connection, along with recommendations for changes to the design requirements in the AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges. The report also includes the description of a simplified computer program that was developed to calculate the time-dependent forces and moments in the girders and at the connections.