Concrete Crack Fallout: Will Epoxy Repairs be Enough to Save the 520 Pontoon Bridge?

Feb. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- Seattle, Washington - A combination of design flaws and improper concrete cooling procedures are causing delays and added expense in the creation of a floating pontoon bridge over Lake Washington that was previously projected to be completed by the end of 2014. Indications that there was something wrong came in May when an interior corner of one of the concrete pontoons broke off. This led to an investigation that revealed improper curing of the concrete had occurred in the first batch of six pontoons used to hold the floating portion of the bridge. Concrete repair was needed to correct the faulty corner, and retrofitting of the other corners has ensured that the same thing won’t happen with the other pontoons in the batch.

A thorough inspection has uncovered several more cracks in the concrete that exceed WSDOT acceptability standards and are causing leaking and seeping. WSDOT project directors are confident that these pontoons can be repaired using a special epoxy resin designed to restore the integrity of the concrete supports and seal the concrete cracks.

The need for these concrete repairs has set back the completion date of the Highway 520 pontoon bridge by about six months, and the magnitude of the additional expense has yet to be determined. Some have speculated that the current problems may stem from alleged shortcuts in construction taken by contractors in an attempt to earn an early completion incentive payment. With the on-going investigation, necessary repairs, and more rigorous inspections, the project is now slated for completion in July of 2015.

Construction Systems Supply, a leading source for information regarding concrete repairs and industrial epoxy resin in the Seattle area, would be delighted to help and is offering to step in and help with the repairs. CSS says that special polymer epoxy resins are an ideal solution for concrete repair. Detailed information on the type of epoxy resins used in concrete repair is available on the Construction Systems Supply website at: http://www.csscorp.net.

About Construction Systems Supply: CSS Corp. is a national industrial supplier of top-quality epoxy coatings and concrete protection and repair products. For more information about industrial epoxy coatings, visit www.csscorp.net.