BRONX-WHITESTONE BRIDGE REAPS BENEFITS OF DEHUMIDIFICATION

The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge is a six-lane cable suspension bridge that spans the East River connecting Queens to the Bronx in New York City. Nearly 40 million vehicles cross it each year. During regular bridge safety inspections, early signs of surface corrosion caused by high humidity levels and environmental pollutants were detected on eyebars and other steel members housed in the bridge's anchorage chambers. Monitoring confirmed that under certain weather conditions, such as humid days, each chamber's air had a higher dew point than the surface temperature of the chamber's surfaces and that this was causing water condensation. Adding to the condensation problem was the bridge's exposure to water seepage, high relative humidity, pollution, and salt laden air infiltration. To correct the problem, a contractor designed a dehumidification system in each chamber that would maintain a 40% relative humidity year-round. Eight HC-300EA Cargocaire desiccant dehumidifiers, equipped with electric heaters and titanium silica gel desiccant wheels were installed. Each chamber had two dehumidification units working alternately. Desiccant dehumidification has proved to be a cost-effective solution to the anchorage's corrosion issue.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11660022
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Page Range: pp 56, 58-59
• Corporate Authors:

  Scranton Gillette Communications

  380 E Northwest Highway, Suite 200
  Des Planes, IL  United States  60016-2282
• Publication Date: 1999-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: 3 p.
• Serial:
  • Roads & Bridges
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Scranton Gillette Communications
  • ISSN: 8750-9229
  • Serial URL: http://www.roadsbridges.com/rb/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Anchorages; Corrosion; Cost effectiveness; Desiccation; Humidity; Humidity control; Steel structures; Suspension bridges
• Identifier Terms: Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Maintenance and Preservation; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00765167
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 29 1999 12:00AM