Heeding the call for better bridge decks. A success story

The Passaic Bridge suffered deterioration. This has been attributed to the fact that the Passaic used a calcium chloride accelerator in the deck mix, and was subjected to sodium chloride deicers within 30 days of the date that the last deck slab was cast. The slabs became very vulnerable to chloride intrusion after transverse cracks appeared over the top bars. The cost of all this replacement has been considerable. Even after adjusting for inflation, an amount equal to the original construction cost of the Passaic deck was expended in 16 years, to replace about 18 percent of the slabs.