Suneel N. Vanikar, Federal Highway Administration
In 2000, the HPC Lead States Team published a Transition Plan that listed several goals. One of the main goals was to “develop a long-term strategic plan for HPC bridges in partnership with government, industry, and academia.” Under the leadership of the National Concrete Bridge Council (NCBC), a focus group of federal and state bridge engineers, professors, and industry representatives met to identify critical issues in the design and construction of longlife bridges to help solve the deficient bridge problem in the United States.
Discussions at the focus group meeting provided the foundation for a strategic plan prepared by NCBC. The strategic plan focuses on the public’s expectations for the present and future. This outlook translates into the following four goals for high performance concrete bridges:
- Reduce Congestion and Improve Safety
HPC products and methods can reduce the frequency of repairs, duration of construction, and length of maintenance work periods. The adoption of HPC techniques, therefore, eases roadway congestion and improves driver safety. Additional development is needed to reduce construction time including:
• Replacing bridge decks with minimal interference with traffic
• Constructing entire short-span bridges within one week
• Reducing the average user delay by 20 percent for typical urban bridge reconstruction projects - Train the Workforce
Not enough knowledge of high performance concrete bridges is currently in the hands of owners, engineers, and contractors. Additional activities are needed to educate and train key stakeholders including:
• Transferring HPC technologies to all 50 states by building several HPC bridges in each state
• Training 500 bridge engineers per year in HPC technology through seminars
• Training 2000 construction personnel per year in HPC bridge technology
• Adding HPC technology courses to the curricula at ten engineering universities - Reduce Life Cycle Cost
The nation’s transportation system needs rehabilitation and improvements. Public officials must stretch capital resources to accommodate these needs in a speedy time frame. Therefore, bridges with low life cycle costs will help government agencies maximize limited resources. Life cycle cost reductions can be achieved through a variety of initiatives, including:
• Establishing a life cycle cost analysis procedure
• Improving service life prediction models
• Collecting cost data on various conventional bridge systems
• Developing tools to perform life cycle cost analyses - Ensure Bridges Meet Expectations
The use of advanced materials and new construction techniques requires the development of new tests and testing methods to ensure that specific bridge performance criteria are met. A variety of initiatives can be undertaken to ensure bridges meet expectations including:
• Developing reliable material tests
• Developing reliable quality assurance methods for construction
• Developing certification programs for products, procedures, and personnel
The successful implementation of the strategic plan and the subsequent action plan will require management support and resource commitments over several years. The public and private sector partnership in the implementation of HPC technology during the recent past has been highly successful. This partnership needs to be maintained so that the general public continues to benefit from HPC bridges.
More Information
For further information contact Suneel Vanikar at [email protected] or Basile Rabbat at [email protected]