Bridge Appurtenances: Part A. Energy Absorbing Fender Systems, Part B. Pre-Cast or Prefabricated Bridge Deck Systems, Part C. Smart Bridges

This report presents the findings and recommendations for the following New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT's) technology transfer projects: A. Energy Absorbing Fender System - Existing bridge fender protective systems technology, used by other states and countries are grouped into six main categories: (1) Pile supported, (2) Retractable, (3) Rubber, (4) Gravity, (5) Hydraulic/pneumatic, and (6) Floating systems. A protection system composed of hardcore composite pile dolphins, composite tubular piles with stay-in-place formwork surrounded by composite ultra-high molecular-weight faced fender panels, was recommended as the state-of-the-art system for NJDOT, after rating six generic design alternatives based on their life cycle costs. B. Pre-Cast or Prefabricated Bridge Deck Systems - It was found that more than 50% of U.S. bridges are classified as pre-stressed concrete structures. The study concluded that precast bridge decks have several advantages over cast-in-place structures, including faster construction schedules, longer service lives, and potentially greater cost efficiency. The use of precast bridge decks in conjunction with new construction materials, such as high performance concrete and fiber-reinforced composites was recommended. C. Smart Bridges - It was found that nondestructive (NDT) methods enable fast, inexpensive and continuous monitoring of reinforcement condition. However, determination of the extent of corrosion is complex and may lead to misinterpretation of results, and to avoid this it was recommended that several NDT methods be combined or used in tandem, for robust analysis and conclusion about corrosion of reinforcement steel.