Specifications include, but are not limited to:This Project will determine the amount of chloride ions in selected interstate bridge decks from deicing salts used to protect motorists from winter driving hazards. Once enough of these chloride ions penetrate concrete and reach the steel reinforcement of a bridge deck, corrosion initiates and results in pot holes and eventually expensive repairs which can severely affect mobility. Quantifying chloride ion content is crucial to understanding the most cost effective way to keep a bridge deck in service when exposed to deicing salts. The highway sections included in this Project have had a change in Agency’s winter maintenance strategy where crews will be using sodium chloride in place of magnesium chloride. This Project will be used to obtain data during early implementation of this change in maintenance strategy to quantify the long term effect of using sodium chloride.
