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Competitiveness
Weighing the Value of Concrete
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Competitiveness
High-performance concrete is a winning alternative - even in geographic
areas where steel has dominated in long-span bridge construction.
- Value - From initial construction costs to long-life
advantages, concrete is more economical than steel.
- Quality -Durable for a variety of applications, concrete
is a proven, practical choice.
- Construction efficiency - Use of precast/prestressed
concrete can help reduce construction time and labor costs by
pre-fabrication of custom segments.
- Economic Impact - Made with local materials, concrete
keeps construction dollars local.
High-Performance Profile: Sagadahoc
Bridge, Maine
 Owner: Maine Department of Transportation
Engineer: Figg Engineering Group
Contractor: Flatiron Structures Company, LLC
The Challenge: To design an innovative concrete bridge joining the towns of Bath and Woolwich and offering competitive cost and quality advantages over steel, the traditional choice for bridge material in the Northeast.
The Project: Proposing a concrete box girder structure that cost $46.6 million—10% less than the steel alternative—designers replaced an aging two-lane steel-truss bridge with one offering four lanes and stretching 2972 ft (906 m) across the Kennebec River.
The Concrete Advantage: Based on judging in ten categories including aesthetics, community impact and navigational ability, concrete beat the competition in terms of cost and quality. Using a high-performance mix that included fly ash, the bridge was designed for long life and low maintenance.
The Result: The bridge features six precast segmental middle spans that vary from 203 ft (62 m) to 420 ft (128 m) in length. The 420-ft (128 m) main span sets a U.S. record for the longest precast segmental box girder structure that is not cable-stayed. |