Which loading arises from braking or accelerating of a vehicle on the bridge?

• A. Bridge Loads
• B. Dead Load
• C. Water Current
• D. Live Load

Answer: (D)

When a vehicle brakes or accelerates on a bridge, the force it transmits to the deck changes with time due to the vehicle’s inertia and wheel dynamics. This creates a moving, time-varying load—dynamic in nature—that is associated with traffic. That kind of load is categorized as live load, which covers moving loads from vehicles and their dynamic effects. Dead load is the static, permanent weight of the structure, and water current is an environmental load not tied to vehicle motion. The broader term “bridge loads” is too vague to capture the specific moving, variable nature of this loading. Therefore, the loading arising from braking or accelerating is best described as live load, accounting for the dynamic impact effects of traffic.