Grade 60 bars should be able to take a bend without significant loss of strength. Bending is necessary whenever the column size changes, but avoiding the bend is desirable when possible.
Using straight lap bars is possible, but the lap bars cannot be "wet set" in the lower column or strength will be lost. Offsetting the upper bar relative to the lower bar is sometimes done but this is not possible for smaller columns. Running vertical bars two tiers instead of one results in more bars than required at the splice, so some loss of strength can be tolerated. It also results in fewer splices.
BA