The most effective way an agency can preserve its bridge deck is through the use of Fast Track Hydrodemolition. This is a very innovative process that combines the use of high pressure water jetting with a dense, impervious concrete, to form an impenetrable barrier to keep out chlorides and provide many years of additional service life to your bridge. The use of hydrodemolition in conjunction with Latex Modified Concrete (LMC) can provide an owner with up to 25 years of service life, and beyond.
Benefits of the Fast Track Process
- No sounding, marking or chain dragging of deck required prior to operation
- Removes all unsound, deteriorated or weakened concrete
- Removes weakened chloride contaminated concrete
- Provides a roughened, etched, and bondable surface for overlay
- Surface has 300% to 400% more bondable area compared to surface milling
- Shows owner where more deficiencies may exist with deck
- Longer term repair technique since no unsound concrete is left
- Removes less concrete than other impact tools
- Does not leave micro cracks in deck (like jackhammering does)
- Lower noise level than jackhammers
- Does not damage reinforcing steel
- Cleans the reinforcing steel
- Removes the concentration of chlorides around existing reinforcing steel
- Does not loosen reinforcing steel
- Does not cause any vibration
- Does not cause bond interface damage to existing reinforcing steel or existing deck concrete
- Does not create fugitive dust
- Extremely fast process with high production rates
- Entire deck is treated – no areas missed = total surface hydrodemolition
- Only known total surface area for treatment
- No measuring or marking necessary for variable depth patches
- Less labor required by contractor
- Less inspection and engineering hours for state agency
- Specifications can be written such that variable quantities are eliminated
- No overruns or disputes in quantities
- Eliminates the need for change orders – Pay item based on plan square yardage
- Speed of operation can reduce the economic impact to surrounding business, schools and emergency services
- Eliminates unbalancing of bids
- Less chance for claims and change orders on job
- Less physical demands placed on labor force (operation is all robotic)
- Today’s work force is not set-up for the long jack hammer hours many decks require
- Greatly reduces chance for workman’s comp claims
- Reduced work zone time, time means less cost for traffic control
- Less traffic exposure time for workers = SAFETY
- Reduction in overhead
- Cost of operation is fixed with only additional concrete material costs to add in for variable depth pour, meaning good control of cost
- Road user costs can be drastically reduced
- Less expensive than a deck replacement