The Summer 2006 Issue of HPC Bridge Views Features:

• Federal Response to Bridge Emergencies by M. Myint Lwin and Luis N. Triandafilou
• I-10 Twin Bridges in Louisiana by Paul B. Fossier
• I-10 Bridge over Escambia Bay by Thomas A. Andres

This issue is devoted to the topic of emergency response to bridge damage. The first article provides an overview of the federal Emergency Relief (ER) program which provides emergency funding for repair and/or reconstruction of bridges damaged by natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, tidal waves, severe storms, or landslides.

The second article is about the reconstruction of the I-10 twin span bridge across Lake Ponchartrain, northeast of New Orleans, that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina last August. The emergency response consisted of realigning and replacing the damaged eastbound spans by taking spans from the westbound bridge. To deal with future hurricane storm surges, a new twin span three-lane bridge consisting of BT-78 precast, prestressed girders is being built.

The third article is about the I-10 Bridge over Escambia Bay, located east of Pensacola, Fla., damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. The emergency repair also consisted of restoring one of the twin spans by taking undamaged spans from one bridge and moving them to the adjacent span. In fact, the Louisiana project followed the procedure used in Florida. The permanent replacement of the Escambia Bay Bridge will utilize HPC to achieve a service life of 75 years. The first bridge is scheduled to be opened by December 2006 and the project is expected to be completed by December 2007.

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Iowa Boasts First UHPC Highway Bridge in U.S.

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) consists of sand, cement, and silica fume in a dense, low water-cement ratio (0.15) mix. Compressive strengths of 18,000 psi to 30,000 psi, along with low permeability can be achieved depending on the curing process. To improve ductility, steel or fiberglass fibers (approximately 2% by volume) are added, replacing the use of mild reinforcing steel.

Iowa’s Wapello County boasts the first UHPC highway bridge in the United States completed in May 2006. Although a simple, single-span bridge with a 3-beam cross section, the Mars Hill Bridge is a significant step toward “The Bridge of the Future” – utilizing 110-feet UHPC girders that do not have any rebar for shear stirrups. It was built with Ductal®, a “revolutionary” UHPC that offers a unique combination of superior properties including ductility, durability, aesthetic flexibility, and amazing strengths – compressive strength up to 30,000 psi. With optimized girder crosssections, UHPC bridges can have low lifecycle costs due to efficient design, faster construction due to lighter members, and longer life from superior durability.

To read more about this award-winning bridge, click here. This paper was one of 96 presented at the 2006 Concrete Bridge Conference held in May in Reno, Nev. Conference proceedings are available on a CD available at the special price of $15 for a limited time. Click here for more information or to order.

Concrete Bridge Awards Names Winners

Ten winners have been named in PCA’s Tenth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition. The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges. This year’s competition was co-sponsored by Roads and Bridges magazine. The winners were selected based on creativity, functionality, and economy. Click here for award-winning bridges.

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LRFD Seminar Filling Fast

FHWA’s deadline for the full implementation of LRFD is fast approaching. PCA will conduct a one-day seminar on the design of concrete bridges by the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications on December 11, 2006 at their office in Skokie, Ill. Seminar attendees will be awarded 6.5 CEUs. Hurry, space is limited!
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Call for Abstracts

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s 2007 Concrete Technology Forum: Focus on High Performance Concrete will be held May 22-24, 2007 in Dallas. The forum will bring researchers and practitioners together to discuss the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research, tools and solutions for high performance concrete. PCA is an organizational partner of the 2007 CTF. Abstracts are due Friday, October 27, 2006.

The First International Conference on Recent Advances in Concrete Technology (rac07) will be held, September 19-21, 2007 in the Washington, DC area at the Sheraton in Crystal City, Va. The conference is being organized by the University of Maryland, Howard University and CI-Premier PTE Ltd of Singapore. The conference is co-sponsored by PCA. Abstracts are due by November 1, 2006.