Over the past decades, an increasing number of integral bridges have been built. This is justified by the various advantages of integral bridges in comparison with standard bridges equipped with expansion joints and bearings. In particular, integral bridges require less maintenance because they do not have mechanical elements and they have an enhanced structural performance because of the frame action and contribution to the stiffness of the embankment at the abutments. However, the structural behavior of integral bridges is at present not fully understood. This is due to the complexity of the complete system, which must be studied considering the soil-structure interaction. Piers monolithically connected to the bridge deck undergo large displacements caused by creep, shrinkage and temperature effects. This paper investigates the structural behaviour of
piers of integral bridges considering the interaction between the foundations of the piers and the surrounding soil. The cracking limit state is investigated considering short-term imposed strains in the bridge deck as a function of the maximal horizontal displacement allowable at the top of the pier.