Abstract:Limestone regions are influenced by multiple factors such as lithological characteristics, geological structures and groundwater activity, resulting in strong concealment, irregularity and complex variability of underground karst. The adverse geological conditions of complex karst significantly impact the bridge pile foundations. To address the challenges of pile foundation selection in complex karst sites, combined with the detailed site geological conditions and the karst development characteristics, and through exploration and analysis on the bearing characters, piling construction methods and burial depth of pile foundation, it is proposed that the burial depth of pile foundations in complex karst areas is not necessarily the deeper the better. Additionally, in certain areas with extremely deep or discontinuous intact bearing strata, the artificial bearing layers can be considered by artificially constructing the continuous bearing strata to meet the bearing capacity of pile foundations. The relevant practical cases can serve as references for the selection of pile foundations in complex karst regions.