Ultra-High Performance Concrete for Bridges
Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) offers innovative solutions for building new bridges and preserving existing bridges. These solutions include using UHPC to improve the strength, simplicity and durability of prefabricated bridge element connections on new bridges; and, strengthen, repair and preserve existing bridges through applications such as UHPC bridge deck overlays, girder end repairs, and link slabs. UHPC has been an initiative in FHWA's Every Day Counts program since 2015. Resources relevant to using UHPC for bridges are given below.
- About UHPC (December 2019)
- Technote: Design and Construction of Field-Cast UHPC Connections (February 2019)
- COMING SOON: Technote: Design and Construction of UHPC Bridge Preservation and Repair Applications
- UHPC Connections Construction Checklist (April 2018)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Interactive Map of Bridges with UHPC
- FHWA Office of Research & Technology UHPC publications
Case Studies
- FHWA: Eliminating Bridge Joints with Link Slabs (November 2020)
- Florida US-41 over Sunset Waterway link slab, 2020
- New Jersey Pulaski Skyway deck panel connections, 2018
- Florida I-95 over Road 5A deck panel connections, 2018
- Florida US-441 over Taylor Creek concrete slab longitudinal connection, 2018
- Delaware Blackbird Station Road adjacent box beam connections and UHPC overlay, 2017
- South Carolina Hanging Rock Creek Bridge NEXT beam and slab beam connections, 2017
- Florida Martin Downs Boulevard slab beam connection repair, 2017
- Minneapolis Franklin Avenue Bridge deck panel connections, 2016
- Iowa Route 92 over Little Silver Creek decked steel beam connections, 2015
- Accelerated Innovation Deployment report (August 2018)
- Utah Route 6 Spanish Fork Bridge deck panel connections, 2014
- Ohio Sollars Road Bridge adjacent box beam connections, 2014 (see page 37)
- New York State I-81 bridge deck replacements deck panel connections, 2013 (see page 31)
- Oregon US-30 over Burnt River deck panel connections, 2012
- Iowa Little Cedar Creek UHPC waffle deck, 2011
- Highways for Life report (June 2013)
- Structural characterization report (2014)
- Iowa US-6 over Keg Creek decked steel beam connections, 2011
- Highways for Life Report (June 2013)
- New York Route 31 in Lyons deck bulb tee girders, 2009
- Iowa Jakway Park UHPC pi-girders, 2008
Videos
- Innovation Spotlight: UHPC for Bridge Preservation & Repair (2021)
- Connecticut I-91 over Amtrak Steel Beam End Repair (2021)
- Iowa Route 163 UHPC Bridge Deck Overlay Lane-1 (2020)
- Iowa Route 163 UHPC Bridge Deck Overlay Lane-2 (2020)
- FHWA EDC-6 Summit UHPC Session (2020)
- Caltrans UHPC and ABC (2020)
- FHWA UHPC Webinars (2017)
- Innovation Spotlight: UHPC for Prefabricated Bridge Element Connections (2017)
- UHPC: A Robust Solution for Highway Infrastructure (2017)
- Full Depth UHPC Waffle Bridge Deck Panels (2013)
- FHWA deck panel connection cyclic testing (2010)
State Resources
- Florida construction specification: Prepackaged UHPC (2019)
- Florida construction specification: UHPC (2018)
- Idaho standard drawings: Prestressed Slab Details, B5.6G (2018)
- Idaho standard drawings: Deck Bulb Tee, B5.4 D-F (2017)
- Iowa construction specification: UHPC (2017)
- Iowa construction specification: UHPC Overlay (2017)
- Iowa construction specification: UHPC Water Integrity Test (July 2017)
- Iowa standard drawings: Concrete Box Beam Bridge, B24 and B30 (2016)
- New York State construction specification: Field Cast UHPC Joints (2015)
- New York State construction specification: UHPC Overlay (2018)
- New York State construction specification: UHPC Joint Headers (2015)
- New York State detail: Adjacent Box Beam (2018)
- New York State presentation: UHPC Link Slab Design (2017)
- Pennsylvania construction specification: a10303 UHPC (log in as guest, and paste this link address in browser window) (2016)
- Pennsylvania standard drawings: Full Depth Precast Deck Panels, BD-605M (2016)
- Pennsylvania standard drawings: decked folded steel girders (2019)
- Texas construction specification: UHPC (2018)
- Texas construction specification: UHPC for Steel Girder End Encasement (2019)
- Washington State design memorandum: Deck Bulb Tee girders with UHPC Connections (2017)
- Washington State standard drawings: Wide Flange Deck Girders (WFDG) UHPC, 5.6-A6 (2018)
UTC ABC UHPC Resources
- Iowa local agency bridge replacements - adjacent box beam connections (2020)
- Iowa Highway 1 over Camp Creek abutment connection, 2019
- New Mexico Route 93 over I-40 deck panel connections on precast girders, 2019
- Washington & California seismic, substructure, and bulb tee girder connections (2019)
- Delaware Blackbird Station Road adjacent box beam connections and UHPC overlay, 2017
- Switzerland bridge strengthening using UHPC overlay (2017)
- Georgia Route 211 over Beech Creek deck panel connections on bulb tee girders, 2016
- Minneapolis Franklin Avenue Bridge deck panel connections, 2016
- Pennsylvania US-30 over Bessemer Avenue decked steel beam connections, 2016
- Michigan development of non-proprietary UHPC for bridges (2016)
- New York State UHPC deck level connections (2016)
- FHWA, UHPC connections for ABC (2016)
- Iowa Deacon Avenue UHPC pi-girders, 2015
- Michigan Evaluation & Analysis of Decked Bulb Tee Beams with UHPC connections (2015)
- Nebraska Primrose East Bridge decked steel beam connections, 2014
- New York State I-81 over Preble Road precast abutment connections, 2014
- Pennsylvania Route 288 Main Street Bridge in Wampum decked steel beam connections, 2014
- Utah Route 6 Spanish Fork Bridge deck panel connections, 2014
- Washington State Boeing North Bridge deck panel connections, 2014
- New York State I-84 over Dingle Ridge Road double-tee beam connections, 2013
- Oregon US-30 over Burnt River deck panel connections, 2012
- Iowa US-6 over Keg Creek decked steel beam connections, 2011
- Iowa Little Cedar Creek UHPC waffle deck, 2011
- FHWA, UHPC deck level connections (2011)
- FHWA & PCI, UHPC deck panel connections (2011)
- New York State Route 23 over Otego Creek deck panel connections, 2009
- New York State Route 31 over Canandaigua Outlet deck bulb tee connections, 2009
- Iowa Jakway Park UHPC pi-girders, 2008
Articles
- Public Roads: Improving Bridge Preservation with UHPC (2021)
- ASCE: International Perspective on UHPC in Bridge Engineering (2020)
- Public Roads: Building Connections that Last (2018)
- Public Roads: UHPC Making Strides (2009)
Links
- FHWA Every Day Counts Program (see EDC Rounds 3, 4 & 6 for UHPC)
- ASTM C1856 Standard Practice for Fabricating & Testing Specimens of UHPC (2017)
- ACI 239R-18 UHPC: An Emerging Technology Report (2018)
- PCI Northeast NEXT beam details (2021) (see drawing sheet-11 for UHPC connections)
- Marine performance of UHPC at Treat Island, Maine (2012) (page 365)