Each of the three bridge repair crews specialize in welding, steel fabrication, concrete finishing and concrete forming. The main quality that might characterize a member of one of these crews is that they are builders and fixers.
The following are examples of typical bridge problems repaired by Heavy Bridge Maintenance Crews:
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Rust and holes develop on girders from salt and lack of paint. |
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Potholes develop from salt corroding reinforcing steel in bridge decks. |
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Failures in bridge joint armors cause dangerous situations. |
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Failures in bridge joint armors cause dangerous situations. |
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Fatigue cracks develop as a result of high traffic volumes and poor fatigue details. |
One of the major causes of repair to bridges is accident damage -- over height loads strike the girders on a bridge and cause extremely serious damage. These girders are usually repaired by heat straightening but may require complete replacement. In some cases, trucks can crash into bridge piers or bents – when this happens, the crews will go into overtime – it gets that serious when the highway is closed down (especially an Interstate). This means that the crews have to be available for immediate mobilization to a bridge site with the right tools and equipment to do the job.
Heavy Bridge Maintenance is also involved in product evaluation as it relates to bridges including: joint materials, paints, concrete deck patch material, concrete deck sealing material, epoxy materials, etc.