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There is no universal support system. Engineers select and design temporary works for the construction stage, expected loads, ground and water conditions, clearances, erection method, traffic constraints, and the sequence in which supports will be loaded and removed.
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What “temporary support” means on a bridge project
Temporary support is part of the project’s temporary works: construction installed for a limited period so a bridge can be built, repaired, moved, or accessed safely. Some temporary works carry the permanent structure; others contain fresh concrete, hold back soil or water, support workers and equipment, or provide a route for materials.
The most important distinction is between falsework and formwork. Falsework carries structural loads until the permanent bridge is self-supporting. Formwork is the mold that gives fresh concrete its intended shape. They often operate together: formwork contains wet concrete while falsework carries the form, concrete, reinforcement, workers, equipment, and other construction loads.
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Shoring is commonly treated as a part of falsework. It may mean horizontal, vertical, or inclined members, although practitioners sometimes use “shoring” and “falsework” interchangeably. A cofferdam performs a different job: it creates a temporary enclosure so foundation work can proceed in or around water, either in a dry area or, in some cases, under wet conditions until a bottom seal is installed.
These definitions follow the terminology in the AASHTO Construction Handbook for Bridge Temporary Works, second edition (2017).
Falsework bents, frames, posts, and piles
Falsework is the principal load-carrying system used while girders, decks, arches, or other permanent components are being erected or while concrete gains strength. A falsework system can be a simple set of beams and posts or a substantial temporary structure with its own foundations and bracing.
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A bent is a temporary line or frame of vertical supports connected by beams and bracing. Bents can stand on the ground, on piles, on a footing, or on another part of the work designed to receive the temporary reaction. They are often placed beneath girder lines or deck work so loads have a clear path into the supporting ground.
Steel, timber, and modular frames
AASHTO examples include steel or timber beams and girders, columns, piles, and foundations. Projects may also use proprietary modular shoring frames, post shores, and adjustable horizontal shoring. Modular components can be rearranged for different heights and layouts, but the assembled system still needs a project-specific check for stability, connections, bracing, and load distribution.
Posts, shores, and inclined members
Vertical posts carry compression directly. Horizontal shores support or restrain members laterally, while inclined shores transfer forces to a suitable base or anchor. The arrangement must remain stable during every construction stage, including partial loading and the point at which some permanent members have not yet developed their full strength.
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Piles and temporary foundations
Where surface soil cannot safely carry the reaction, falsework may stand on piles, grillages, footings, or other engineered foundations. The foundation is part of the temporary support system, not an afterthought: inadequate capacity or uneven settlement can change elevations, redistribute forces, and affect the permanent bridge.
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Formwork and deck forms: shaping concrete while falsework carries it
Formwork is the temporary mold for concrete in a deck, pier, cap, arch, or other component. It must hold the specified geometry until the concrete hardens and must resist pressure from plastic concrete, vibration, reinforcement and workers, and construction surcharges.
Deck forms may be supported from falsework below, suspended from girders, or attached to other temporary framing, depending on the erection method. The formwork controls the concrete’s shape; the supporting falsework controls the load path to the ground or to an approved permanent support. Treating a form system as merely a surface finish can miss the forces generated by wet concrete and construction activity.
Removal is also a design issue. Forms and shores must remain until the concrete has reached the strength and stiffness required by the project’s plans and specifications. The removal sequence can change the load carried by the partially completed bridge, so it should follow the engineered procedure rather than an improvised schedule.
Cofferdams and temporary retaining structures for foundations
When a pier or abutment is located in water, a cofferdam creates a protected work area around the foundation. Depending on the design, the enclosure may be pumped dry for excavation and concrete placement or may remain wet until a basal seal is placed.
Common cofferdam forms
The AASHTO temporary-works handbook covers timber sheet-pile, soldier-pile-and-lagging, and steel sheet-pile cofferdams. Internal bracing and anchorage keep the enclosure stable against soil, water, and construction loads. The selected arrangement depends on depth, seepage, soil behavior, access for installation, and the forces that develop as excavation proceeds.
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What a cofferdam does not replace
A cofferdam is not a substitute for the foundation itself. It provides temporary water and soil control so crews can construct piles, footings, seals, or pier elements. The enclosure, bracing, seals, pumps, and removal sequence all require engineering because a change in water level or excavation condition can alter the loads rapidly.
Trestles, bridge scaffolding, and temporary access
Temporary trestles are elevated structures that support equipment, materials, or portions of an erection operation across soft ground, water, or an area where a normal access road is impractical. They can also provide a working platform from which crews assemble or place permanent bridge components.
Bridge scaffolding provides access and working platforms around piers, decks, and other elevated work. It may support people and tools without carrying the bridge’s permanent structural load, or it may be integrated with a temporary support arrangement. Caltrans’ Construction Manual Section 48, Temporary Structures (July 2019), and its current temporary-structures manual index include dedicated chapters for temporary trestles and bridge scaffolding. The index lists chapter issue dates from September 2025 through August 2026, so project teams should use the edition and chapter applicable to their contract.
Temporary decking can maintain a working or traffic surface during deck or joint reconstruction. Its supports, connections, edge protection, and load limits must be coordinated with the construction sequence and any traffic-control plan.
Jacking supports and temporary systems for repair or replacement
During bridge repair, bearing replacement, superstructure lowering, or partial replacement, temporary supports can carry the existing bridge while permanent supports are altered. Hydraulic jacks may raise or lower the superstructure, while temporary towers, bents, stools, or beams receive the load before, during, and after the movement.
The critical question is not simply whether a jack has enough nominal capacity. Engineers must establish a complete load path, account for how reactions shift as the bridge moves, provide a stable bearing surface, and define the sequence for jacking, blocking, transfer, and removal. Temporary decking may be installed when a deck or joint is reconstructed so the work area remains usable while the permanent surface is incomplete.
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Supports for prefabricated spans and bridge moves
Prefabricated bridge sections are often assembled or staged away from their final location and then moved into place. Temporary shoring bents support the span at the staging site before a self-propelled move, lift, slide, or other transfer.
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FHWA guidance in the Manual on Use of Self-Propelled Modular Transporters to Remove and Replace Bridges, Chapter 4, identifies several controls:
- Provide bearing ground and foundations with enough capacity to prevent harmful settlement.
- Distribute load equally among the beams or other intended support lines.
- Monitor the supports for settlement during staging and movement.
- Match support spacing and bearing geometry to the final conditions where applicable.
- Verify dimensions and elevations with an as-built survey.
These requirements matter because a prefabricated span can be damaged or become difficult to move if one support settles, a bearing line is out of position, or the temporary geometry differs from the planned transfer arrangement.
How the main temporary-support systems compare
| System | Primary function | Typical components or forms | Where it is used | Key design concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falsework bents and shoring frames | Carry permanent bridge components until they are self-supporting | Steel or timber beams, girders, columns, posts, piles, foundations, modular frames, adjustable shores | Girder erection, deck construction, arches, and staged concrete work | Construction-stage loads, bracing, foundation capacity, stability, settlement, and removal sequence |
| Formwork and deck forms | Contain and shape fresh concrete | Forms, supporting frames, shores, and attachments | Decks, caps, piers, arches, and other cast concrete elements | Concrete pressure, vibration, surcharges, geometry, and timing of stripping |
| Cofferdams | Create a temporary protected work area in or around water | Timber sheet piles, steel sheet piles, soldier piles and lagging, internal bracing, anchorage | Substructure foundations and pier construction | Water pressure, seepage, soil support, excavation stages, seals, bracing, and removal |
| Trestles and scaffolding | Provide temporary support, access, or working platforms | Elevated frames, platforms, access scaffolds, temporary decking | Work over water, soft ground, around piers, and at elevated deck work | Platform loads, stability, access, clearance, and interaction with traffic or equipment |
| Jacking supports | Support or move an existing bridge during repair or replacement | Jacks, temporary towers, bents, stools, beams, blocking, and bearing surfaces | Bearing work, superstructure lowering, deck or joint reconstruction, and replacement | Reaction changes, load transfer, movement sequence, stability, and controlled unloading |
| Staging shoring for prefabricated spans | Support a completed or partly completed span before a move | Shoring bents, beams, foundations, bearing lines, and monitoring equipment | Staging yards and bridge replacement moves | Equal load distribution, settlement control, support geometry, and surveyed elevations |
How engineers choose a temporary support system
Selection starts with the construction stage, not with a catalog of available frames. The same bridge may use several systems at different times. A deck cast in place may need formwork and falsework; a pier in a river may need a cofferdam; a later bearing replacement may need jacks and temporary bents.
Project teams compare the following factors:
- Function and load path: Determine whether the system carries wet concrete, a girder, an existing bridge, workers and equipment, water and soil pressure, or only access loads. Trace each reaction to a foundation, pile, anchor, or approved permanent element.
- Construction-stage loading: Check the partly built bridge, temporary equipment, impact and vibration, wind, and unusual support configurations. The weakest stage may occur before the permanent load path is complete.
- Ground and foundation conditions: Establish bearing capacity, pile performance, scour or erosion exposure where relevant, and the risk of differential settlement.
- Water and seepage: Account for water levels, flow, seepage, excavation conditions, and the need for a sealed or pumped work area.
- Geometry and clearance: Fit the system to span length, vertical clearance, navigation or roadway requirements, girder spacing, bearing locations, and the final erection path.
- Erection and removal access: Confirm how components will be delivered, assembled, inspected, adjusted, and removed without destabilizing the permanent work.
- Traffic and adjacent operations: Coordinate temporary supports with live traffic, railways, waterways, utilities, cranes, and other crews working nearby.
AASHTO’s Guide Design Specifications for Bridge Temporary Works, second edition, is listed with 2020 interim revisions and September 2021 errata. The governing contract documents and engineered plans determine which provisions apply to a particular project.
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Temporary does not mean low consequence. FHWA Technical Advisory 5140.24, Bridge Temporary Works, dated October 29, 1993, states: “Despite the temporary nature of these structures, the safety of project personnel and the general public during the period when temporary works are used requires diligence equal to that exercised in designing and constructing the permanent structure.”
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That principle affects both design and field management. Temporary works should be reviewed for each planned support and loading condition, including the condition in which the bridge is only partly complete. Connections, bracing, foundations, bearing points, and access routes need inspection before loading and after events that could change them.
For staging supports, settlement monitoring is an explicit control. Equal distribution among beams, adequate foundation capacity, and measurements that reveal movement help prevent an unnoticed change in load or elevation. An as-built survey verifies that support spacing, bearing geometry, dimensions, and elevations match the engineered arrangement.
Owner agencies should place temporary-works requirements and responsibilities in binding contract language rather than merely pointing to guide specifications. The contract should identify who designs, checks, installs, inspects, monitors, maintains, modifies, and removes each temporary system.
Typical temporary-support choices by construction situation
- Cast-in-place deck over ground or a shallow crossing: Use deck formwork supported by falsework bents, posts, beams, or modular frames. Confirm the support foundations and keep the system in place until the concrete has achieved the required condition for safe load transfer.
- Girder erection before the deck is cast: Use falsework bents, shoring frames, or temporary supports where the erection method requires intermediate reactions. Check the partially erected girder system and all temporary bracing.
- Pier foundation in a river or tidal area: Install an engineered cofferdam or another temporary retaining enclosure, with internal bracing or anchorage as required, to control water and soil during excavation and foundation construction.
- Bridge repair or bearing replacement: Use temporary bents, towers, beams, and jacks to support and, if necessary, move the existing superstructure. Follow a defined load-transfer and unloading sequence.
- Prefabricated span replacement: Place the span on staging shoring with adequate foundations, equalized bearing reactions, settlement monitoring, and surveyed geometry before the move.
What temporary works should not be assumed
A support that worked on one bridge is not automatically suitable for another. Member sizes, bracing, foundations, anchorage, inspection intervals, allowable movements, and removal steps depend on the project’s loads, geometry, ground, water, and governing specifications. The examples above describe recognized systems and their functions; they are not a design recipe.
For professional reference, the principal documents identified for this subject are the 2017 second edition of the AASHTO Construction Handbook for Bridge Temporary Works; the second edition of the Guide Design Specifications for Bridge Temporary Works with its listed 2020 interim revisions and September 2021 errata; FHWA Technical Advisory 5140.24 from October 29, 1993; Caltrans Construction Manual Section 48 from July 2019; Caltrans’ temporary-structures manual index; and FHWA’s Chapter 4 guidance on self-propelled modular transporter bridge moves.
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