Author: Anna Veltri

The AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating Task Force is pleased to deliver version 7.7.0 of the AASHTOWare Bridge Design (BrD) and AASHTOWare Bridge Rating (BrR) products and the combined Design and Rating product (BrDR).

The 7.7.0 release adds the following capabilities and features:

• Section 508 accessibility compliance. This includes high contrast modes, screen dictation support, and SVG images (for scaling images and high contrast mode) across the BrDR suite, including the PS Design Tool, Steel Design Tool, and Migration Wizard.  These updates ensure improved accessibility and usability for all users, including those with disabilities.

7.7.0 addressed 171 BrDR Support Service Desk (BSSD) incidents.  See the release notes for more information.

Special Notes:

The 7.7.0 release download package, with Bridge Design, Bridge Rating, or both, is provided in accordance with your AASHTO license agreement.  Installation instructions are provided within the AASHTOWare Bridge Startup Guide in the download package.

Software distribution is processed based on the information the organization provides when the software is licensed. The 7.7.0 release download package will be distributed to the organization’s shipping designee and listed end user. Software distribution to all licensees will be completed within 5 working days from this announcement. A follow-up email will be sent upon completion of software distribution.

Please direct any questions to AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating Technical Support at BrDR@promiles.com.

Check out the following technical notes posted on the AASHTOWare BrDR Technical Support website at https://aashtowarebrdr.org/ on September 22, 2025. To access BrDR Technical Notes, navigate to the Bridge Design and Rating menu at the top, select Technical Notes from the menu, and login using brdr.

• Technical Note 85 – Gusset Plate Partial Shear Planes – BrDR version 7.7 updates the terminology used for gusset plate partial shear planes to improve clarity and consistency between the input tab and F1 Help. The shear plane directions are now labeled as Smaller Angle Partial Plane and Larger Angle Partial Plane to reduce misinterpretation. See Technical Note 85 – Gusset Plate Partial Shear Planes for more information.
• Technical Note 86 – Cross-frame Axial Rigidity Coefficients – Default Behavior – BrDR version 7.6 introduces input fields for axial rigidity coefficients in the Diaphragm Definitions window. For 3D LRFD/LRFR analysis with the 10th Edition of the LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, if no values are entered, BrDR now applies default coefficients as per Article 4.6.3.3.4c for single-angle and tee-section cross-frame members. This update may affect models created with earlier versions. See Technical Note 86 – Cross-frame Axial Rigidity Coefficients – Default Behavior for more information.

Please direct any questions to AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating Technical Support at BrDR@promiles.com.

The Bridge Design and Rating Newsletter is available online!

Read about all of this in the September 2025 Newsletter.

• AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating (BrDR) Task Force Membership Update
• AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating (BrDR) Cloud Platform Project Work Plan – Submitted to SCOA for Approval and Execution!
• AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating (BrDR) 7.7 Beta Testing Update
• 2025 RADBUG Annual Meeting Snapshot
• Webinar coming soon: AASHTOWare BrDR 7.6 with AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, 10th Edition – A Deep Dive
• 2025 Golden Span Award