The distance between the end of the girder and the end of the abutment where it is placed is called:

• A. Seating length
• B. Bearing length
• C. Span length
• D. Overhang length

Answer: (A)

Seating length is the distance from the end of the girder to the abutment face where the girder sits on its bearing. This measures how much of the girder end actually rests on the abutment and is the portion that is seated on the bearing to transfer loads into the support. It is not the overall span between supports, not the length of the bearing itself, and not the portion of the girder that extends beyond the abutment (overhang). So the described distance corresponds to the seating length.