John M. Hooks, Federal Highway Administration
Bridge engineers across the country are working with new, innovative uses for high performance concrete (HPC). Whether it is durable bridge decks, optimized girder cross sections, or creative admixtures for overlays, HPC is increasingly the material of choice for bridge construction, renovation, and repair. In an effort to encourage innovative uses of HPC in bridges, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has an incentive for State, county, and local bridge owners to use HPC—and other high performance material technology— as they build and maintain bridges and other highway structures.
The FHWA Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program
The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), through the Technology Deployment Program [sec. 5103], launched the Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program (IBRC). The FHWA’s strategic goals promote mobility, increased productivity, and enhanced safety. The IBRC supports these goals by championing high-performance materials that reduce bridge maintenance and life-cycle costs and by encouraging construction techniques that decrease traffic congestion and enhance driver safety. Currently in the second year of a six-year program, the IBRC encourages the use of high performance materials and technology transfer through grants to State Departments of Transportation ( DOTs) for specific repair, rehabilitation, and construction projects. Grants can be made for the entire scope of the innovation process, including engineering, repair or construction, and post-construction monitoring and evaluation. Total funding for construction is $102 million over six years.
IBRC Promotes Research on Innovative HPC Applications
The Illinois DOT (IDOT), in cooperation with the City of Chicago, has an IBRC grant to research and evaluate the concrete mix for 1,100 HPC segmental, post-tensioned deck panels to replace the existing superstructure for almost a mile-long section of Wacker Drive in one construction season. Wacker Drive, a two-level roadway structure, is one of the main access routes within downtown Chicago.
According to IDOT’s John Morris, “This is an unusual project because it will use a type of construction for the superstructure that has not been used before. Our decision to use HPC is based on service life and durability. We need a structure with a 75- to 100-year life that can withstand Chicago weather, de-icing agents, abrasive materials, and the pounding of more than 30,000 vehicles daily. HPC meets those criteria in that it is resistant to chlorides and less prone to shrinkage and cracking.”
Partnerships Leading to Innovative HPC Designs
Virginia DOT (VDOT) is aggressively using HPC for bridge structures with 62 HPC projects built, under construction, or under design. One of the tenets of the IBRC is the incentive to work closely with public and private transportation partners to build better bridges. VDOT, as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Prestressed Concrete Economical Fabrication (PCEF) committee, is working with other State DOTs, FHWA, industry, and private consultants to develop new prestressed concrete bulb-tee bridge girder standards.
VDOT’s Malcolm Kerley could be speaking for bridge engineers across the Nation when he notes that, “HPC is giving us new options for building s t r o n g e r, longer lasting, more cost-effective, safer bridges. The IBRC program has helped us research new applications, and what we have is a new recognition of the kinds of things we should be doing with HPC.”
Further Information
For further information on IBRC, visit the web site at http://ibrc.fhwa.dot.gov, or call John Hooks at 202-366-6712.