Title:
Epoxy Reinforcement for 100-year Road Structure in Chicago
Author(s):
John Prentice
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
24
Issue:
9
Appears on pages(s):
102-103
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
9/1/2002
Abstract:
Wacker Drive is a vital two-level thoroughfare into and out of the heart of often crowded downtown Chicago. Built in the late 1920s, the artery carries almost 200,000 vehicles per day, and the old concrete structure had experienced heavy deicing salting over the last four decades. The resulting deterioration by corrosion of its reinforcing steel called for serious reconstruction. Owner, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) set an ambitious design goal of 100-year service life for the renewed roadway. To provide future resistance to corrosion, epoxy-coated reinforcing bars, among other enhancements, were specified for the new cast-in-place concrete structure.