DDR Global

BENICIA - MARTINEZ BRIDGE-28-153, 04-CC,SOL-680

The Benicia-Martinez Bridge was the largest bridge deck overlaid using the polyester Concrete by Caltrans before 1991. Nearly 500,000 square feet of polyester polymer concrete was Placed. The bridge was widened, strengthened and the deck was rehabilitated by removing the grout wearing surface and placing a 3/4-inch polyester overlay. The overlay was placed using continuous volumetric concrete mobile mix equipment modified to batch the polymer resin concrete and a modified asphalt paver. The strike-off was a modified asphalt paver that could pave six or 12-feet wide. A 1 1/2- feet wide vibrating strike-off plate driven by two, rotating vibrators at each end consolidated the polyester polymer concrete. Preplaced metal tube rails on which the paver rode controlled profile grade. The tubing rested on screw jacks that adjusted the rail to the desired grade. [Back to top]

RICHMOND - SAN RAFAEL BRIDGE

This primary San Francisco Bay area structure was built in the early 1950’s and currently carries about 80,000 vehicles per day with a high percent of truck traffic. The long bay crossing spans 3.6 miles and has three top deck lanes and three bottom deck lanes. The deck consists of a lightweight concrete structural deck topped with a high density grout wearing surface. The wearing surface has become badly cracked and damaged. Therefore, it was replaced in 2007 using polyester resin concrete. Work on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge occurred all at night time. Kwik Bond Polymers PPC 1121 polyester resin concrete was used on this project and the San Francisco -Oakland Bay bridge project. [Back to top]

SAN FRANCISCO - OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE

This major connection between Oakland and San Francisco carries over 300,000 cars and trucks per day and had an existing epoxy-asphalt overlay that has failed after many years of service. Cracking and spalling of the overlay prompted its removal and replacement with polyester resin concrete. The bridge has an upper and lower deck and the upper deck was in the worst condition. The deck contains light-weight concrete and contains many old cracks and is extensively map cracked. The recent rehabilitation was performed on both the top and bottom deck surface from Treasure Island to the San Francisco Anchorage. This bridge section is two miles long with 5 lanes on the upper deck and 5 lanes on the lower deck. The goals of the project included extending the life of the deck another 30 years. No extra weight could be added to the deck and work had to occur at night during off peak traffic periods. [Back to top]

Belmar, New Jersey, Route 35 over the Shark River

Due to settlement of the intermediate slabs adjacent to the bridge, there was a hazardous dip on Route 35 in Belmar, NJ. When slab jacking was not able to rectify the problem, New Jersey Department of Transportation officials turned to Kwik Bond Polymers for an effective solution. The recommendation from KBP was to place a variable thickness mat of PPC 1121 Polyester Polymer Concrete to a new proposed grade. The material would be placed from 19 mm to 100mm thick in a single lift to fill in the dip and Reestablish a safe, smooth ride. DOT officials accepted the recommendation and the project planning began. Traffic control restrictions were in effect so the work would have to be performed at night. TheTemperatures at that time are typically in the mid 40s, and the humidity is very high in this Atlantic coastal location. Rapid cure time in these harsh conditions would be paramount to the success of the project. NJDOT secured a contractor to perform the work, and used recent survey data to propose a new grade and calculate the quantity of material to order. Grinding and shot blasting were completed to prepare the surface prior to placing wood forms to the proposed grade. The material was mixed in mortar mixers and finished by hand with an aluminum screed. All operations were completed within a single shift. [Back to top]

Rifle, Colorado I-70

This was an easy repair to perform, but most materials would not last in this application. Maintenance crews typically use cold patch as a temporary fix as most patching materials are too rigid and do not have the bond strength to perform in this situation. Everyone from the DOT viewed this as a temporary fix, a way to use the extra material to restore the area to a safe condition until they had time to replace the slab, but Kwik Bond is accustomed to pushing the limits of PPC Easy Patch with 100% success. This section of I-70 sees approximately 17,000 vehicles per day with over 15% heavy truck traffic and harsh winter weather. The crews were pleased with the workability of the product. They were more pleased to be opening the lane to traffic in less than two hours. The new riding surface was re-established at the original grade and the broken concrete slab had been protected to avoid further deterioration. [Back to top]

Montville Township, New Jersey, I-80

The Department already had experience with Polyester Polymer Concrete for various applications, but Decided to put it to the test for the replacement of failing LMC on a larger scale. They chose to replace an entire lane of failed LMC on a bridge on I-80 Eastbound, about 30 minutes from Manhattan. The work would be completed on a nightly basis over the course of a short week. Each shift would include removal of LMC, sounding and patching of the substrate deck, and placement of Polyester Polymer Concrete to match the grade of the adjacent lanes. If everything went well, the morning rush of commuters would notice that the bridge had a smoother ride without ever knowing what took place the night before. The LMC overlay removal was completed with standard jackhammers, with care taken to only remove the overlay concrete. PPC features an integral bond to the substrate through the use of a high molecular weight methacrylate healer/sealer primer, so there is no need to remove sound deck concrete. The composite action between the substrate concrete and the PPC system means the new overlay will stay bonded to the substrate for the life of the deck without requiring rebar exposure. Some of the substrate deck was removed and replaced with PPC as it was unsound after being exposed to chloride and moisture through cracks in the LMC overlay. The PPC was mixed in basic mortar mixers and finished with a screed, all methods similar to standard concrete. The surface was tined for long lasting skid resistance. After less than two hours of cure time, the lane closure was removed and all lanes of I-80 were open to traffic, on time, every night. [Back to top]

Route 395/I-80 Spall Repair, The Spaghetti Bowl Reno, NV

A project was put out to bid calling for replacement of all failed patches, requiring the use of PPC Easy Patch Plus. The low bid was submitted by the same contractor that had placed the failed material in the previous year. This posed an interesting problem, did they just need a superior and more user friendly material, or were the contractor’s methods inferior? The contractor was directed to purchase Kwik Bond’s PPC Easy Patch Plus. At that point in time, another failed patching material was not an option. Traffic control restrictions were in effect so the work would have to be performed at night under strict time limitations. Temperatures varied from low 40c. The PPC Easy Patch system would be required to cure very rapidly, handles heavy loads, and last a long time. The expectations for PPC Easy Patch were very high. [Back to top]

Newark, New Jersey, I-280

This was a particularly difficult case. The PPC would have to bond to steel and asphalt, which is more difficult than bonding to standard concrete. PPC 1121 includes a penetrating high molecular weight methacrylate primer which gives the product a distinct advantage when bonding to these tough surfaces. This primer bleeds into the substrate then reacts with the polyester binder to form an integrated chemical bond to all substrate surfaces, even steel. This application was also difficult because the material would have to cure quickly enough to return traffic within two hours of placement even though the steel substrate temperature was only -15°c. This would have to happen without any external heat or insulation, as well as maintaining a comfortable 30 minute work time. PPC 1121 is perfectly suited for this with the addition of KBP’s Z Cure™ accelerator. When the accelerator is added to the mix, PPC 1121 is able to perform under these extreme temperature conditions and still provide a 30 minute work time, 2 hour traffic return, and results that last. [Back to top]

Cascade Locks, Oregon, I-84 Eagle Creek Viaduct

The contractor for this project was very experienced with PPC. Prior to placing the overlay, all unsound concrete in the existing deck was removed and replaced with PPC. The overlay was then placed at 19 mm thickness over the entire surface of the bridge. The DOT wanted to establish a smooth riding surface, and avoid grinding a rebate into the deck, up to the joints. This meant the PPC would be placed over the steel finger joints. The overlay would have to bond to steel, which is more difficult than bonding to standard concrete. The high molecular weight methacrylate primer included with PPC 1121 gives the product a distinct advantage when bonding to anything, particularly a less porous surface. This primer bleeds into the substrate then reacts with the polyester binder to form an integrated chemical bond to all substrate surfaces, even steel. The joint gap through the center of the finger joint was formed up to proposed grade, and the PPC overlay was placed directly over the steel finger joint to achieve a smooth grade across the entire bridge. [Back to top]