ACI 345.

1R-06

Guide for Maintenance

of Concrete Bridge Members
Reported by ACI Committee 345

Richard E. Weyers Paul D. Carter

Chair Secretary

Gerald H. Anderson Dena L. Guth Johan Silfwerbrand Paul St. John

Michael C. Brown Alan B. Matejowsky Michael M. Sprinkel Jerzy Zemajtis
Robert J. Gulyas Harold R. Sandberg

Bridges represent a substantial investment of public funds, and are CONTENTS

expected to provide satisfactory performance and remain in service for Chapter 1—Bridge maintenance, p. 345.1R-2
many years. Design specifications typically require 75- or 100-year design life 1.1—Introduction
for new bridges. Neglecting or delaying bridge maintenance can result in 1.2—Concrete bridge maintenance
reduced service life and increased costs due to repair, rehabilitation, or
1.3—Purpose of maintenance
replacement at an early age. Another consequence of neglecting maintenance
is that the condition of the bridge can become life-threatening to the public. 1.4—Limitations
It is believed that continuous and systematic maintenance of a bridge will 1.5—Timing of maintenance
extend its service life and reduce its overall operating cost.
This document addresses typical problems and presents potentially Chapter 2—Concrete bridge deterioration,
cost-effective maintenance techniques for concrete bridge elements. It provides p. 345.1R-3
guidance for engineers and maintenance staff. It does not cover repair, 2.1—Deterioration indicators
rehabilitation, reconstruction, or bridge inspection, and therefore, it does
2.2—Causes
not include topics such as cathodic protection, repair with shotcrete, and
deck overlays. Detailed methods of repairing and inspecting bridges may 2.3—Contributing factors
be found in the references.
Concrete bridge maintenance is defined as those activities that are Chapter 3—Considerations in bridge design,
relatively inexpensive and repeatable, performed when the concrete element p. 345.1R-5
is still in good to fair condition, intended to prevent or minimize deterioration 3.1—General
of the concrete. These activities may include sealing, washing, caulking, 3.2—Decks and curbs
crack repair, and other minor repairs intended to prolong the functionality
3.3—Deck joints
of the bridge element.
3.4—Superstructure
Keywords: bridge decks; cementitious; coating; maintenance; placement;
3.5—Substructures
polymer; sealant.
Chapter 4—Drainage and washing, p. 345.1R-8
ACI Committee Reports, Guides, and Commentaries are 4.1—General
intended for guidance in planning, designing, executing, and 4.2—Deck drainage
inspecting construction. This document is intended for the use 4.3—Washing exposed surfaces
of individuals who are competent to evaluate the significance
and limitations of its content and recommendations and who 4.4—Maintenance of deck drains
will accept responsibility for the application of the material it 4.5—Other drain considerations
contains. The American Concrete Institute disclaims any and
all responsibility for the stated principles. The Institute shall
not be liable for any loss or damage arising therefrom.
Reference to this document shall not be made in contract ACI 345.1R-06 supersedes ACI 345.1R-92 and became effective March 14, 2006.
documents. If items found in this document are desired by the Copyright © 2006, American Concrete Institute.
Architect/Engineer to be a part of the contract documents, they All rights reserved including rights of reproduction and use in any form or by any
means, including the making of copies by any photo process, or by electronic or
shall be restated in mandatory language for incorporation by mechanical device, printed, written, or oral, or recording for sound or visual reproduction
the Architect/Engineer. or for use in any knowledge or retrieval system or device, unless permission in writing
is obtained from the copyright proprietors.

345.1R-1
345.1R-2 ACI COMMITTEE REPORT

Chapter 5—Sealing, p. 345.1R-10 1.2—Concrete bridge maintenance

5.1—General Bridge deterioration usually occurs slowly at first and is
5.2—Purpose often overlooked. In later stages of deterioration, however,
5.3—Sealing materials sudden catastrophic events can occur, demanding immediate
action. Progressive deterioration can be retarded and some-
5.4—What and when to seal
times avoided if proper systematic preventive maintenance
5.5—Recommended practice
is practiced (Carter and Kaufman 1990). Concrete bridge
5.6—Product selection maintenance involves relatively inexpensive, repeatable
activities that either prevent or minimize concrete life of
Chapter 6—Maintenance patching, p. 345.1R-12 bridge elements or are minor repairs that extend the service
6.1—General of the structural concrete members.
6.2—Purpose Concrete bridge maintenance is performed when the struc-
6.3—Selecting durable patching materials tural concrete member is still in good to fair condition, and can
6.4—Recommended patching procedures be subdivided into preventive and responsive maintenance.
1.2.1 Preventive maintenance—Preventive maintenance
Chapter 7—Joints, cracks, and control joints, procedures are done before deterioration is visible and the
p. 345.1R-15 structural concrete member is still in good condition, and are
7.1—General usually planned at the design stage and started accordingly.
7.2—Maintenance of joints Procedures include sealing, washing, caulking, and crack
7.3—Cracks repair. A procedure not planned is installing retrofit drains.
7.4—Crack repair 1.2.2 Responsive maintenance—Responsive maintenance
7.5—Joint caulking procedures are usually more extensive, and are done in the
early stages of the visible deterioration cycle. Procedures
include small repairs, establishment of positive deck
Chapter 8—Potentially promising techniques for
bridge maintenance, p. 345.1R-17 drainage systems, maintaining the functionality of deck
8.1—General joints, and similar activities to extend the service life of
structural concrete members in bridges.
8.2—Corrosion inhibitors for use in maintenance
8.3—Galvanic cathodic protection using sprayed zinc
1.3—Purpose of maintenance
Maintenance activities are often more cost effective when
Chapter 9—References, p. 345.1R-18 the concrete is still in relatively good condition and is
9.1—Referenced standards and reports focused on those parts of a structure that face the most severe
9.2—Cited references exposure conditions. Preventive maintenance addresses
causes of the potential deterioration, as opposed to treatment,
CHAPTER 1—BRIDGE MAINTENANCE of the effects of deterioration. For example, sealing the deck
1.1—Introduction surface reduces the infiltration of chloride. Proper preventive
Bridges represent a substantial investment of public funds maintenance activities can reduce the rate of deterioration,
and are expected to function for many years. United States extend service life, and reduce future repair costs (Carter
design specifications typically require a 75- or 100-year design 1989a). Responsive maintenance activities help to keep
life, and European specifications require a 120-year design bridges operating safely and efficiently.
life. Neglecting or delaying bridge maintenance can result in
reduced service life and increased life-cycle costs due to 1.4—Limitations
repair, rehabilitation, or replacement at an early age. Another Maintenance is no substitute for proper design and
consequence of neglecting maintenance is that the condition of construction. Even proper maintenance will not produce
the bridge can become life-threatening to the public. desirable results when applied to improperly designed and
When exposed to sufficiently aggressive environmental constructed concrete bridge elements. Examples of improper
conditions, structural concrete members will eventually design include insufficient reinforcing steel cover depths,
deteriorate and lose strength. Aggressive environmental excessive surface cracking, and poor drainage characteristics,
conditions for bridges involve cycles of freezing and such as ponding of chloride-contaminated water on a
thawing, and cycles of wetting and drying, with or without concrete bridge deck.
the presence of chloride. Corrosion of reinforcing steel spalls
the cover concrete, reduces the cross-sectional area of the 1.5—Timing of maintenance
reinforcing steel, and therefore, its strength. The time Maintenance activities performed at the proper time are
required for deterioration to occur varies considerably, extremely cost effective. Similarly, maintenance activities
depending on the severity of the exposure conditions and the conducted at the wrong time can be a poor investment. The
characteristics of the structural concrete. It is believed that wrong time for maintenance is after significant damage has
continuous and systematic maintenance of a bridge will occurred. Maintenance can prevent damage, but it cannot
extend its service life and reduce its overall operating cost. restore deteriorated concrete. Damage such as scaling,