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Successful Preservation Practices for Steel Bridge Coatings

Over 30 percent of the 607,000 bridges in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory have steel superstructures. Most of those are protected from corrosion damage by thin film coatings or paints. Those coatings have a finite life in relation to the steel they protect. Over time, they degrade, eventually requiring repair or replacement. When selecting this type of superstructure for a bridge, the operating agency incurs an obligation to maintain the coating on the steel to protect it from corrosion to obtain its full service life. 

Product Number: 51217-033-SG
Author: Charlie Brown
Publication Date: 2017
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Over 30 percent of the 607,000 bridges in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory have steel superstructures. Most of those are protected from corrosion damage by thin film coatings or paints. Those coatings have a finite life in relation to the steel they protect. Over time, they degrade, eventually requiring repair or replacement. When selecting this type of superstructure for a bridge, the operating agency incurs an obligation to maintain the coating on the steel to protect it from corrosion to obtain its full service life. However, recoating existing steel bridges is a major and costly task for transportation agencies. According to a study by NACE titled: “Corrosion Costs and Preventive Strategies,” the annual cost of corrosion for highway bridges is estimated to be between $6.43 billion to $10.15 billion and is increasing. Many agencies are faced with significant challenges in balancing available resources with major rehabilitation, reconstruction and complete replacement needs due largely to corrosion caused by failing coating systems. Beyond direct costs, repainting projects frequently impact the driving public through reduced capacity (lane closures) and also put workers in the Right of Way, exposing them to additional safety risks. State Highway Agencies (SHA) are seeking to identify improved coating and recoating methods that will offer extended service life and save significant costs by reducing the frequency of recoating, or the need to recoat at all, thereby delaying costly rehabilitation and replacement activities caused by corrosion.

Over 30 percent of the 607,000 bridges in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory have steel superstructures. Most of those are protected from corrosion damage by thin film coatings or paints. Those coatings have a finite life in relation to the steel they protect. Over time, they degrade, eventually requiring repair or replacement. When selecting this type of superstructure for a bridge, the operating agency incurs an obligation to maintain the coating on the steel to protect it from corrosion to obtain its full service life. However, recoating existing steel bridges is a major and costly task for transportation agencies. According to a study by NACE titled: “Corrosion Costs and Preventive Strategies,” the annual cost of corrosion for highway bridges is estimated to be between $6.43 billion to $10.15 billion and is increasing. Many agencies are faced with significant challenges in balancing available resources with major rehabilitation, reconstruction and complete replacement needs due largely to corrosion caused by failing coating systems. Beyond direct costs, repainting projects frequently impact the driving public through reduced capacity (lane closures) and also put workers in the Right of Way, exposing them to additional safety risks. State Highway Agencies (SHA) are seeking to identify improved coating and recoating methods that will offer extended service life and save significant costs by reducing the frequency of recoating, or the need to recoat at all, thereby delaying costly rehabilitation and replacement activities caused by corrosion.

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