Galvanizing on highway bridge structure lasts more than 40 years About a year ago AZZ Galvanizing
Services (Fort Worth, Texas) conducted a study to assess the performance of gal- vanized steel after 41 years of service on a structural steel highway bridge in Cas- tleton, Indiana. The 188-ft (57-m) long continuous composite steel beam bridge is comprised of two 92-ft (28-m) spans that support the northbound lanes of Interstate 69 as it crosses East 82nd Street. When built, this bridge was con- structed with hot-dip galvanized steel. At the same time, an adjacent bridge carry- ing the southbound lanes of I-69 was constructed of bare steel coated with the standard paint system used at the time by the Indiana Department of Transporta- tion (INDOT) (Indianapolis, Indiana). Since its completion in 1970, the galva- nized bridge has not required any addi- tional coating maintenance while the painted bridge has been recoated twice.
The 188-ft long continuous composite steel beam bridge that carries northbound I-69 across East 82nd Street was built using hot-dip galvanized steel and the adjacent southbound bridge was constructed of bare steel coated with the standard paint system used at the time by INDOT. Photo courtesy of AZZ Galvanizing.
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NACE International, Vol. 51, No. 11
November 2012 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE 19