Citation

Am. City Cty. 1999; 114(1): 34.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Penton Media)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) are trying out high-performance, carbon fiber-reinforced polymeric (FRP) material in several bridge maintenance and rehabilitation projects. The research makes GDOT one of the first transportation departments in the United States to use the material on bridges. The Lee Road Bridge over Interstate-20 in Douglas County, a bridge in Murray County, and one near St. Simons Island are being analyzed for results. The Lee Road Bridge suffers from cracks in its concrete deck, and researchers hope the FRP material will extend the bridge's life at least 5-10 years. On the Murray County bridge, GDOT contractors used sheets of carbon FRP material to repair pile caps and are monitoring the material's performance. FRP repairs can be done in a much shorter time and are less expensive than traditional repair and replacement of bridge components.