2025 Award Winners and Nominees
Project Name
Delaware Memorial Bridge Overlay Rehabilitation
Description
Holcim Ductal Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) was selected as the supplier of the "Advanced Concrete" overlay material for the Delaware Memorial Bridge (DMB) deck rehabilitation with partial-depth replacement overlay. With over half of Million square feet surface, the DMB UHPC overlay required the largest UHPC volumes on one single project in North America.
The project includes removal of the top 2” of the existing deck slabs and replacement with UHPC overlay on the New Jersey-bound Span. Using hydro demolition, two inches of the old deck was removed, the reinforcing mat repaired, transverse deck relief joints and expansion joints replaced, and a UHPC deck overlay added.
The DMB overview: 2 miles long Twin Structures bridge that connects I-295 between DE and NJ. It has 4 lanes of traffic in each direction and 50,000 vehicles per day (each bridge)
The use of UHPC is a bridge preservation strategy that prevents, delays, or reduces deterioration of bridges or bridge elements, restores the function of existing bridges, keeps bridges in good or fair condition, and extends their service life." Keeping highway bridges in a state of good repair is challenging and requires bridge owners to be creative and forward thinking.
Evidence
With an accelerated deck deterioration of the 75 year old bridge and skyrocketing maintenance costs, an innovative approach to rehabilitation needed to be considered by the bridge owner, The Delaware River and Bay Authority.
The innovative Ductal UHPC technology will provide 40+ year service life extension and will greatly reduce the carbon emissions by substantially reducing the construction duration, traffic disruption, waste, material transportation, etc..
A Lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) (FHWA Publication No.: FHWA-HRT-23-012) indicates that the UHPC overlay is the most cost effective option for deck rehabilitation or replacement.
The DMB Deck Rehabilitation project received an Award by the "2024 ENR Regional Best projects"
The mechanical and durability properties of Ductal UHPC make it an ideal candidate for use in developing new solutions to pressing concerns about highway infrastructure deterioration, repair, and replacement.
UHPC is a cementitious composite material composed of an optimized gradation of granular constituents, a water-to-cementitious materials ratio less than 0.25, and a high percentage of discontinuous internal fiber reinforcement. The mechanical properties of UHPC include compressive strength greater than 17,500 pounds per square inch (psi) (120 Megapascals (MPa)) and sustained postcracking tensile strength greater than 750 psi (5.2 MPa). Ultra-high performance concrete has a discontinuous pore structure that reduces liquid ingress, significantly enhancing durability compared to conventional and high-performance concretes.
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