FRP Deck - Rehabilitation of a Steel Truss Bridge

To avoid a costly bridge replacement project, the New York State Department of Transportation partnered with private industry to rehabilitate a steel truss bridge using lightweight composites. Reducing dead load on the bridge by 265 tons, the application of composite deck technology doubled the load ratings (to a level higher than the original design) and allowed weight restrictions to be removed, while saving $1.4 million. This was the first time this type of rehabilitation was accomplished in the U.S. FRP bars appear to be promising alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures such as marine structures, parking structures, bridge decks, highway under extreme environments, and structures highly susceptible to corrosion and magnetic fields