A bearing plate is typically required if the bearing plate connects to a sole plate when anchor bolts are used for superelevation or to serve as a mechanism for lateral restraint. Bearing plates are often preferred by fabricators to protect the ends of the girders because spalling is a concern when girders camber and slide during detensioning. A bearing plate is a good practice in all cases with larger skews as it reduces the likelihood of spalls at the end of the beam during detensioning or when the beam begins to camber and bear on the ends alone. In a situation like an integral abutment, a bearing plate is not required, but would still be helpful to prevent spalling during detensioning.