A detailed bridge inspection is first and foremost for any and every bridge rehabilitation project. Inspectors focus on deck cracking, chloride-induced spalling in concrete beams, rust pockets along steel girders; basically, when the existing condition shows delamination but no section loss, then a seamless polyurea membrane is equipped to halt moisture ingress and subsequent bridge decay without the need for the gargantuan endeavor that is a new build project. Crews typically handle localized concrete repairs, targeted joint repair, and replacement of leaking expansion joints early (often during or shortly after inspection) to prevent accelerated wear and tear that defers costlier structural repairs that may eventually necessitate full re-builds, but if findings reveal unanticipated bridge needs–for example, an obsolete parapet height–those can be folded into the same construct to keep the scope defined and coherent.

If it’s time to start spraying, not paying, then the project begins in earnest with thorough surface preparation. Abrasive blasting removes laitance and road salts from the concrete surface and exposes bright metal on embedded anchors or stainless steel hardware; where chloride ingress has caused impact damage at the deck’s cross section, contractors may opt for partial-depth deck removal, using a combination of low-shrinkage mortars followed by spraying the elastomer. Because polyurea’s elastic modulus is low enough to bridge (no pun intended) micro-cracks in concrete structures while still bonding tenaciously to various substrates–attributes that make it well-suited for the irregular geometrics found on the side of a bridge–polyurea is an ideal candidate technology for effective bridge rehabilitation in most locales and conditions.