The importance of Bridge Maintenance
Services: Bridge Deck Waterproofing, Captive Abrasive Friction Enhancement
1 in 3 bridges across America need repair or replacement according to statistic by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. America’s infrastructure is aging, and bridge owners are facing a challenge of cost effectively preserving and maintaining these structures. Whilst bridge maintenance should be focussed around the worst effected structures, regular inspection and upkeep of all bridges is crucial to preventing high-cost requirements in the long run.
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, recognizes preservation as a vital component in achieving and sustaining a desired state of good repair of highway facilities. Therefore bridge preservation is eligible for federal funding, providing it is an action that prevents, delays or reduces deterioration of bridges or bridge elements, keeping the bridge in a good or fair condition and extending its service life.
Types of Bridge preservation:
Bridge cleaning: Cleaning of decks, joints, drains and substructure elements to slow down deterioration from debris and contaminants.
Deck sealers: Deck sealers such as bridge deck waterproofing, protect the bridge deck from corrosion, by minimising the intrusion of water and chemical damage. Some specialist waterproofing systems such as Bimagrip also combine anti-skid protection to enhance friction and and safety.
Concrete deck repair: Repairing or restoring the surface of a concrete bridge deck via concrete patching, epoxy injection, overlay systems or installation of reinforcing materials. Before any repairs can take place it is vital that the deck is prepared to remove any deteriorated concrete, contaminants or debris. Shot blasting is often the preparation of choice to achieve a clean and rough surface perfect for the adhesion of any new coating.
Deck overlays: Bridge deck overlays are protective layers that are added on top of existing bridge deck surfaces to enhance the durability, skid resistance and extend the surface life of the bridge.
Repairing the superstructure concrete: These repairs typically include patching weakened areas of concrete, crack repairs, repairing or replacing rebars, or the addition of reinforcement. These repairs improve load carrying capacity, performance and prevent further deterioration.
Preserving highway facilities across America requires proactive and effective bridge maintenance to ensure the safety, reliability and longevity of the infrastructure. By identifying and addressing issues early, lifecycle costs can be minimized and the service lives of these crucial network structures can be extended.