This research is an investigation on the possible use of reinforced soil structures as direct bridge abutments. Analysis is performed based on conventional methods of design for case examples that reflect typical situations. The purpose of the study is to identify cases where the external and internal stability criteria are satisfied. The results indicate that deep foundations are necessary when soft soil layers are present near the surface. In more competent foundation profiles, reinforced soil structures can be used as direct support of bridge abutments. In these cases, the application of bridge loads on top of the walls has an impact on the design width of the wall, i.e. the length of the reinforcement elements. Among the three different failure modes of external stability, the critical one is the bearing capacity, which as expected is significantly affected by foundation soil conditions. When these conditions are marginal, loading and geometric characteristics can play an important role, too. In terms of internal stability, the presence of bridge loads on top of reinforced soil walls increases the required density of reinforcement elements, i.e. decreases the vertical and horizontal distance of the steel strips. Overall, it was concluded that the use of reinforced soil walls as direct bridge abutments would be reliable under certain conditions. This would be a significant simplification in the design and construction of current bridge abutment systems and would result in construction cost savings due to elimination of deep foundations.
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