Corrosion of Highway Bridges: Economic Impact and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

This paper describes how the corrosion of metallic structures has a significant impact on the US economy. In a recent study, the total direct cost of corrosion was determined to be $276 billion per year, of which the costs associated with the infrastructure represent 16.4%, a sizeable portion. The dollar impact of corrosion on highway bridges is considerable. The average annual direct cost of corrosion for highway bridges (including steel) was estimated to be $8.29 billion. This paper summarizes the costs of corrosion of reinforced-concrete bridges and discusses the control and prevention methodologies. The paper presents an example of a life-cycle cost analysis, which considers different construction/repair/rehabilitation options and maintenance scenarios. Based on the annual cash outflows, the analysis shows that indirect (user) costs can exceed the direct cost by a factor of 10 or more.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Concrete Bridge Council

  Portland Cement Association, 5420 Old Orchard Road
  Skokie, IL  United States  60077-1083
• Authors:
  • Yunovich, Mark
  • Thompson, Neil G
  • Virmani, Y Paul
• Conference:
  • The 2004 Concrete Bridge Conference
  • Location: Charlotte NC, United States
  • Date: 2004-5-17 to 2004-5-18
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 25p
• Monograph Title: Building a New Generation of Bridges

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Corrosion; Corrosion protection; Corrosion resistance; Corrosion resistant steel; Epoxy coatings; Highway bridges; Life cycle analysis; Life cycle costing; Reinforced concrete; Reinforced concrete bridges; Reinforcing bars; Stainless steel
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Materials; I32: Concrete;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01036129
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 27 2006 8:14AM