18-01 — Successful Approaches for the Use of Hydrodemolition for Partial Depth Removal of Bridge Decks

Original Scope: Rehabilitation of bridge decks is a recurring task for almost all agencies responsible for maintaining a road network. The task typically entails disturbance of traffic operations, exposure of workers to active traffic, and environmental remediation. Technology, procedures, and practices that can improve agencies’ ability to reduce the time required and associated risks and adverse impacts for deck replacements can have widespread benefits. Several state transportation agencies are finding that hydrodemolition is offering such benefits. Learning and disseminating the lessons of these agencies’ experience can accelerate the technology’s adoption and support refinement and standardization of practice, particularly with regard to challenges associated with environmental restrictions, water sources, water disposal, and applications to deeper decks.

This scan will meet with users of hydrodemolition and document their specific applications. The team will seek to examine bridges undergoing hydrodemolition as well as bridges that have undergone past hydrodemolition of deck replacements to study both the process and long term performance of bridges that have been subject to a partial deck replacement. The team will explore various aspects of the hydrodemolition process, gathering perspectives of agencies, contractors, and consultants experienced in hydrodemolition.

Implementation and Impact

Following the scan workshop in May 2019, the scan team worked at the state, regional and national levels to advance scan findings. Highlights of these activities include:

Scan team presented findings at the Midwest Bridge Preservation Partnership in Bismarck, ND in October 2019, while also providing an update at the Minnesota Association of General Contractors in December 2019. In March of 2020, the scan team represented the scan at the Louisiana Transportation Conference.

This scan has found a home within the TSP2 program under their Decks and Joints page. Scan team members will continue to work within their own states and nationally to advance the findings of the scan as opportunities present themselves.

TRB hosted a webinar based on the outcomes of this scan entitled, Hydrodemolition for Bridge Rehabilitation. To view the recording, visit the webinar page on the National Academies website. 

Scan Chair, Cheryl Hersh Simmons of Utah DOT, provided the teams’ perspectives on the scan outcomes:

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