Corrosion of Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Piles

About the project:

Reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete piles and piers on bridges have been found to suffer corrosion-related distress, even when wrapped in fiberglass-reinforced structural jackets. Florida, for example, has conducted extensive research into this issue in that state’s coastal marine environment.

The bridges of Virginia’s Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) have fiberglass reinforced jackets.  The Virginia Department of Transportation, the agency responsible for operating and maintaining HRBT, requires an evaluation of the current condition of the piles and performance to date of the jacket systems.

This project will estimate the degree of corrosion damage that may have occurred on piles under the jacket systems and assess the reliability of available inspection techniques for evaluating fiberglass-reinforced structural jackets.VCTIR will provide VDOT a recommendation on whether to continue using fiberglass pile jackets that do not incorporate cathodic protection systems.

Project Team

Co-Principal Investigators

Other Investigators