Title:
Construction of a Short-Span UHPC Bridge: Cost Considerations and Lessons Learned
Author(s):
Sherif El-Tawil, Musawer A. Saqif, William Hazelton, Jon Winckler, and Michael Clark
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
47
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
35-40
Keywords:
fiber, project, performance, strain
DOI:
10.14359/51745608
Date:
2/1/2025
Abstract:
Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is an advanced cementitious composite material with extraordinary mechanical and durability properties. This article discusses the construction of a short-span bridge using UHPC as well as the cost considerations associated with building an entire bridge with UHPC and reflects on lessons learned from the process.
Related References:
1. Federal Highway Administration, “Deployments of UHPC in Highway Bridge Construction,” https://highways.dot.gov/research/structures/ultra-high-performance-concrete/deployments. (last accessed Jan. 2025)
2. Lassy, B.; Hain, A.; Zaghi, A.E.; Kanyo, Z.M.; Chuong, B.K.; and Cardinali, A., “Rehabilitation of Corroded Steel Bridge Girder Ends using Partial-Height Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Encasement,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, V. 2678, No. 6, pp. 178-195.
3. Delaware Memorial Bridge, UHPC SOLUTIONS, Orange, NJ, https://www.uhpcsolutions.com/case-studies. (last accessed Mar. 2024)
4. El-Tawil, S., and Hazelton, W., “First U.S. Bridge with a 100% UHPC Superstructure: A Small Bridge with Big Implications,” ASPIRE, Winter 2024, pp. 24-27.
5. “Guide Specifications for Structural Design with Ultra-High Performance Concrete,” first edition, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 2024, 97 pp.
6. AASHTO T 397-22, “Standard Method of Test for Uniaxial Tensile Response of Ultra-High Performance Concrete,” American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 2022, 49 pp.
7. Deng, Q.; Wang, Z.; Li, S.; and Yu, Q., “Salt Scaling Resistance of Pre-cracked Ultra-High Performance Concrete with the Coupling of Salt Freeze-Thaw and Wet-Dry Cycles,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 146, Feb. 2024.
8. “AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications,” eighth edition, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 2017, 1780 pp.
9. Saqif, M.A.; Tai, Y.-S.; and El-Tawil, S., “Experimental and Computational Evaluation of the Ductility of UHPC Beams with Low Steel-Reinforcement Ratios,” Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, V. 148, No. 7, Apr. 2022.
10. El-Tawil, S.; Saqif, M.A.; Rogers, D.; and Tai, Y.-S., “Lab-Mixed versus Truck-Mixed UHPC—What’s the Difference?” Concrete International, V. 45, No. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 40-45.
11. El-Tawil, S.; Nelson, G.; Hazelton, W.; Rogers, D.; and Clark, M., “Cheaper to Build, Faster to Construct: Novel Short and Medium Span UHPC Bridges,” Third International Interactive Symposium on Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Wilmington, DE, June 4-7, 2023.
12. ASTM C109/C109M-21, “Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars (Using 2-in. or [50 mm] Cube Specimens),” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2021, 12 pp.
13. Graybeal, B.A.; Hartmann, J.; and Wright, W., “Material Property Characterization of Ultra-High Performance Concrete,” Report No. FHWA-HRT-06-103, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, Aug. 2006, 186 pp.
14. Alkaysi, M.; El-Tawil, S.; Liu, Z.; and Hansen, W., “Effects of Silica Powder and Cement Type on Long Term Durability of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC),” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 66, Nov. 2015, pp. 47-56.