Development of Precast Concrete Bridges During the last 50 Years in Slovakia

The precast prestressed bridges represent the major part of all highways bridges that were built last decade in Slovakia. This is mainly due to the technical and economic advantages of this type of structures. Despite the well know advantages of precast bridges, there exists a demand for innovative solutions that would improve the competitiveness of this type of structures.The paper focuses on the recent changes during the last years in design and fabrication process and describes some failures of the first precast prestressed girders in Slovakia.