Title:
Rehabilitating Side‐by‐Side Box‐Girder Bridges with Ultra‐High Performance Concrete
Author(s):
Perry
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
ws_S23_Perry.pdf
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
4/2/2023
Abstract:
The first precast Side‐by‐Side Box‐Gider bridge constructed in the United States was in the early 1950s
and at present approximately two‐thirds of the states have built this type of bridge. This construction
type accounts for nearly one‐sixth of all bridge in the USA and nearly 170,000 of these bridges exist in
China. Many of these bridges are reaching their intended service life and are becoming a major
maintenance issue for the owner. Side‐by‐side box‐girders are typically connected with longitudinal
shear keys and lateral post‐tensioning. Over time with relaxation of the transverse post‐tensioning the
shear keys begin to deteriorate, and reflective cracking can occur in the wearing surface of the deck,
which allows leakage and further acceleration of the deterioration. Ultra‐High Performance Concrete
(UHPC) is beginning to become a method to restore the continuity of the box‐girders and extend the
service life of the bridge. This presentation covers the use of UHPC to replace the shear keys in the
longitudinal connections and as a thin bonded overlay to restore continuity of the deck.