Design, Construction and Testing of the Neal Bridge in Pittsfield, Maine

Highway bridges in the U.S. are quickly becoming deficient due to increasing traffic volumes, rapid deterioration, extended service life, and increasing load requirements. Repair or replacement of deficient structures is expensive, time and labor intensive, and typically results in lengthy road closures during construction. Researchers at the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC), Advanced Structures & Composites Center have developed a lightweight, corrosion resistant system for short to medium span bridge construction using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite arch tubes that act as reinforcement and formwork for cast-in-place concrete. They are lightweight, easily transportable, rapidly deployable and do not require the heavy equipment or large crews needed to handle the weight of traditional construction materials. This report describes the design, construction and testing of the Neal Bridge in Pittsfield Maine, the first FRP arch bridge.