Highway Fund's Future Unknown

The future of the federal highway program beyond the expiration of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2009 is unknown, Jon Nekritz, P.E., division bridge engineer for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), told attendees of

The highway trust fund is expected to get to the point where i t will not be able to fund apportionments and there is no solution yet. Nekritz reported that a task force has been set up to study the trust fund issue and it is supposed to report on it this year, but it is not expected to meet that deadline. An extension for the task force is expected.

Mark Harrison, P.E., Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Local Bridge Program manager, told attendees that bridge costs are exceeding project application estimates. He pointed out that low bid overruns hurt individual regions and can cause other projects to be delayed.

Chris Gilbertson, P.E., research engineer at Michigan Technological University, gave a presentation on sustainable bridge design and construction. One sustainable material is high performance concrete (HPC). HPC is a concrete with improved environmental resistance, high strength, or enhanced setting characteristics. It provides longer spans, smaller cross-sectional areas, reduced lifecycle costs, and better long-term performance.

Gilbertson explained that aluminum bridge decks are light weight and provide a high strength/weight ratio. They are 80-percent lighter than concrete. They require fewer welds than steel bridge decks, reducing the potential for failure points. Aluminum decks are also more corrosion resistant.

Gary Jakovich, P.E., senior structural engineer for FHWA, discussed prefabricated bridges and accelerated bridge construction.

Accelerated bridge construction is a process that encourages the use of innovative technologies and techniques to accelerate the construction of major highway projects with extended service lives for the purpose of reducing user delay and community disruption.

Accelerated bridge construction includes:

• A fast-track contracting process, which includes:

• Close coordination between the owner, designer and constructor

• Incentives and disincentives

• Prefabricated bridge elements and systems, which include:

• Innovative equipment and methods

The goal is to reduce on-site construction time, the impact on traffic and the environmental impact. Prefabrication, however, requires a greater degree of planning and coordination. Prefabrication reduces on-site construction time, minimizes traffic disruptions and improves work zone safety. It also:

• Minimizes the environmental impact,

• Drives innovation and improves constructability,

• Increases product quality, and

• lowers lifecycle costs.

Decks, bent caps, columns, footings, parapets, total superstructure systems, and total substructure systems can be prefabricated. Bridges can also be totally prefabricated.