Abstract:
The aim of this research was to use the New Zealand Transport Agency's bridge database to assess the risk of prestressing corrosion to State Highway bridges. Bridge age categories were developed that aligned with events in the concrete industry which resulted in changes to design and construction procedures for pretensioned bridge beams. Typical bridge designs from each of the different eras are identified and a field investigation was designed to assess their susceptibility to pre-tensioning steel corrosion. This study has led to a better understanding of the severity of prestressing corrosion in New Zealand's bridges and allowed an estimate of the total cost of the problem to be made.