Making Every Closure Count: Best Practices in Bridge Deck and Highway Maintenance

Bridge deck and highway repairs often wait in the wings until there’s an urgent problem that requires immediate attention. A far more proactive and efficient approach could involve the use of a special cement that contributes to improved road and bridge deck preservation and sustainable infrastructure repair, offering long-lasting concrete solutions.

In this Ask the Expert with Matt Ross, P.E., of CTS Cement, we explore bridge and highway maintenance best practices involving calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement for rapid repairs that last. We explore:

• Faster setup, less inconvenience. CSA-containing concrete sets up in a fraction of the time of concrete containing traditional portland cement, ensuring that roads are reopened as quickly as possible.
• Less environmental impact. By enabling repairs to be completed in an overnight timeframe, CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced with less rush hour traffic idling in work zones.
• Greater durability. CSA-containing concrete loses only about 2% of its mix water during hydration, significantly less than concrete made with portland cement. That results in far less shrinkage. CSA concrete is also more resistant to chemical degradation and compromise from freeze-thaw environments.