Abstract:The design of bridge substructures in mountainous areas often encounters difficulties such as a large number of steep slopes, ramps and inclined rock faces, as well as a significant height difference between the piers in the transverse direction. To avoid the extensive excavation of base slabs, the pile-column substructure has become the preferred choice for many bridges in mountainous areas. The Nanhai Avenue Bridge in Nanchong City is a typical bridge under steep cross slope conditions, and its substructure is a bent-cap pile-column frame structure. To study the impact of steep cross slopes on the substructure design of this bridge, the influence of sloped terrain and inclined rock surfaces on the calculation of pile foundation bearing capacity, pile length, and rock-socketed depth is studied through engineering experience combined with theoretical analysis. The effect of transverse height differences between piers caused by steep cross slopes on the internal force distribution of bent caps and piers is analyzed using finite element computational methods. Finally, through setting the starting point for the bearing capacity of the pile foundation, the starting point for the rock-socketed depth of pile foundation, and the reasonable reinforcement, the influence of the steep cross slope on the substructure design of the bridge has been properly addressed, which provides a valuable reference for the substructure design of similar mountainous bridges.