Which organization published the first national design specification for highway bridges in the United States in 1927?

• A. American Society of Civil Engineers
• B. American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO)
• C. Federal Highway Administration
• D. National Academy of Sciences

Answer: (B)

Standardizing how bridges are designed across states is the idea being tested. In 1927, the American Association of State Highway Officials published the first national design specification for highway bridges in the United States. This document created a common set of loads, design methods, and acceptance criteria, so engineers across different states could follow the same rules for interstate projects. It replaced varied state practices with a unified approach and laid the groundwork for the ongoing evolution of national bridge design standards, which later became the modern AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications. The other organizations didn’t publish this first nationwide standard in 1927: the American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional society that focuses on education and papers, not the national bridge standard; the Federal Highway Administration didn’t exist in its current form in 1927 (its predecessor handled federal highway work); and the National Academy of Sciences is a science advisory body, not the issuer of the national bridge design specification.