The premature deterioration of reinforced concrete bridge decks is a serious concern to highway engineers. Both newly constructed decks (some as new as 2 years) and older decks that have provided good service for many years are deteriorating at an alarming rate. The most common and serious form of deterioration is the delamination of the concrete at the level of the top mat of reinforcing steel and eventual spalling of the deck surface. Delamination of concrete results from the internal tensile forces created by the buildup of corrosion products around the reinforcing steel.

This activity has provided technical assistance and funding to encourage States to try cathodic protection (CP) systems on bridge decks. CP is the external application of a direct current to the surface of the top mat of steel in amounts sufficient to overcome the internal current flow that occurs when the concrete no longer has the protection normally provided by alkaline content. The demonstration included a slide presentation to help inform State and Federal engineers about corrosion problems and cathodic protection solutions. DP34 has helped to pioneer most of the technological advances made in the application of cathodic protection of bridge decks, including cokebreeze asphalt overlays, slotted systems, mounded systems with overlays, and anode meshes.

DP34 is being closed out. More than 60 decks in 35 States, including first, second, and thirdgeneration systems, were installed; more than 15 years of technical assistance to the States and industry was provided. Reports and guide specifications were developed. Several work orders for application and evaluation of CP to bridge decks are still active. An updated slide presentation is available upon request, and technical assistance is available on a limited basis.

Not available.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration