Chapter 1: General Policies on Use of Bridge Railing

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Section 1: About This Manual

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Purpose

This manual provides guidance on selection of railing for Texas bridges. The manual is intended for the use of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) District and division personnel and for consultants employed by TxDOT.

Anchor: #i999877Manual Revision History
Version	Publication Date	Summary of Changes
2001-1	December 2001	New manual.
2002-1	February 2002	Revision adding information on acceptability of T6 railing types for use limited to low speed applications.
2003-1	August 2003	Revision adding information about acceptability of in-place railing that complies with NCHRP-230 requirements, adding information about railing on culverts, adding information about railing on bridges scheduled for maintenance overlays, adding information about the T502 and C502 railing types, adding profile sketches and information about minimum heights after maintenance overlays for specific railing types, and clarifying bridge slope requirements.
2005-1	June 2005	Revision removing references to C101 metal railing, adding references to the Rail Anchorage Curb Retrofit standard drawing, and adding descriptions of the following new railings: T401, T402, C402, and T77 metal and concrete railing, and T221, C221, and B221 concrete railing.
2006-1	May 2006	Revision updating state policy on railing for bridge-class culverts, identifying railings that are acceptable but no longer used for new construction, adding an index, and making minor editorial corrections.

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Organization

The information in this manual is organized as follows:

Chapter 1, Policies on the Use of Bridge Railing. Overview of current federal and state policy on bridge railing.
Chapter 2, Acceptable Bridge Railing in Texas. Descriptions, profile drawings, and photographs of approved bridge railing used in Texas.
Chapter 3, Obsolete Railing on Existing Bridges. Guidelines for upgrading existing bridge railing to current standards.
Chapter 4, Temporary Bridge Railing. Recommendations for selecting bridge railing for use during widening or other construction on existing bridges.
Chapter 5, Pedestrian, Bicycle, and ADA Requirements for Bridge Railing. Guidelines for selecting bridge railing that meets needs of non-vehicular traffic.

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Feedback

Direct any questions or comments on the content of the manual to the Director of the Bridge Division, Texas Department of Transportation.