Operations which began back on Sunday, August 1, for the Clays Ferry bridge deck overlay project are now finished.
The Clays Ferry Bridge was completed in the mid 1990’s with the original deck still remaining. After 25 years of usage the deck needed to be conditioned with an overlay. A deck overlay is a preventative maintenance action. The deterioration of a bridge deck occurs due to a variety of reasons; general use, exposure to the elements, salting of roads during winter, and accidents. All of these circumstances contribute to the worsening of a deck.
The overlay serves two main purposes. The first is to remove all unsound deck material. This includes eliminating concrete that has waned. The areas are then filled with new concrete.
The second purpose is to waterproof the deck with a latex concrete overlay of approximately 1.5 inches in thickness. This layer prevents water from penetrating into the concrete, which slows future deterioration. Water proofing also prevents moisture from leaching through the deck and causing decay to the steel truss superstructure.
