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HIGH WAYS

Specification for Highway Works

The four Overseeing Organisations also issue the Manual of Contract Documents for
Highway Works (MCDHW), which comprises six separate Volumes. These documents
provide the basis for documentation for individual contracts, and are supplemented, for each
contract, by project-specific requirements. Of particular relevance to steel bridge construction
are the sections known as ‘Series 1800’ of Volume 1, Specification for Highway Works
(SHW), and Volume 2, Notes for Guidance on the Specification for Highway Works. The
SHW implements BS 5400–6, modifies some of its clauses and provides the framework for
additional project -specific requirements. For guidance on the latter, see SCI’s Model

Appendix 18/1 document[6] .

reference to thes e and other supporting standards for materials, workmanship, inspection and

2.5 Requirements of Railtrack

Highway bridges that cross over a railway line need to meet the requirements of Railtrack.
Railtrack issues Railway Group Standards that set out its requirements for the design of
structures. It also issues a Code of Practice document. Generally, the requirements follow
those in the DMRB, but with a few detailed variations and with more extensiv e
requirements for railway loading and for accidental loading (on both underline and overline
bridges). The relevant documents are listed in Appendix B.
Railtrack also issues model specification clauses that amplify the specifications in BS
5400, in a similar way to the SHW.

2.6 European Standards

In recent years, many British Standards (issued by the British Standards Institution) have
been replaced by European Standards. These European Standards have been developed by
subcommittees of the European standards body, known as CEN. BSI is a member of CEN
and now issues the CEN standards in the UK under the designation BS EN (followed by the
reference number). Perhaps the most obvious BS EN documents for a steel bridge designer

are those relating to the steel material itself; BS 4360[7] , which was referred to by BS 5400–

3:1982, has been replaced by a series of BS EN documents[8][9][ 10]. Other standards,

including
those relating to matters such as welding, are in the process of being replaced by CEN
standards.

2.7 References to BS 5400 in this publication

References are made in this publication to clauses in various Parts of BS 5400. For
simplicity, these are expressed in the fashion 3/4.5, where the 3 refers to Part 3 and the 4.5
refers to the clause number in that Part. A list of all the Parts and the dates of the versions
current at the time of publication are given in Appendix B.
However, two special cases must be noted. Part 2 (Specification for loading) has been
reference to thes e and other supporting standards for materials, workmanship, inspection and
revised by BD 37/88 (see the DMRB) and a completely new version is included in an
Appendix to that document. Because the BD applies to most bridges in the UK, all
subsequent references to Part 2 in this publication are to the BD 37/88 version, unless noted
otherwise.
Similarly, BD 16/82 made significant changes to Part 5 (Design of composite bridges) and a
separate ‘combined’ document (Part 5 plus the BD revisions) was produced by the (then)
Department of Transport. (The latter document is sometimes known as the ‘yello w
document’, because it was issued with a yellow cover.) Again, all subsequent references to
Part 5 in the present document are to the Part 5 as amended by BD 16/82, unless noted
otherwise.