The business of building a new generation of bridges.

Rising traffic volume is exacerbating a problem that's been brewing for decades. Congestion is becoming intolerable and the cost of traffic slowdown is increasing every year. Congestion slows America's clean air progress, increases greenhouse gas emissions, impedes the flow of products to market, and keeps us away from our jobs and our families. The poor condition of our bridges contributes significantly to highway congestion; nearly a third of highway bridges are deficient. Moderate increases in funding over the past decade have barely Kept pace with inflation and have not alleviated the problem.

High performance concrete bridges offer cost efficiencies, time savings, and twice the lifespan of conventionally built bridges. And a foundation of research, development, and "showcase" bridges has established these findings. However, additional technology transfer, research, and implementation are needed to ensure the expectations of general public, industry, and the government can be met.

We can't afford to let progress get stuck in traffic. As traffic volume on our nation's highways continues to outweigh capacity, community leaders are persistently challenged to find solutions for preventing delays caused by roadway maintenance. Highway bridges are too often at the crux of the matter. Thirty percent of highway bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

Safe and unrestricted operation of bridges on the strategic highway network (STRAHNET), is absolutely necessary to support defense mobility. STRAHNET provides defense access, continuity, and emergency capabilities for movement of personnel and equipment in both peacetime and war. Nearly 22 percent of the bridges on STRAHNET are deficient. (1)

In the 24 years since the Surface Transportation Act of 1978, federal funding for bridges has increased at 4.8 percent per year, just slightly outpacing the rate of inflation. This meager increase in funding, however, has not markedly decreased the number of deficient bridges in America.

In order to reduce deficient bridges to 25 percent, under the Federal Highway Administration's mandated 10-year goal, the bridges we build should be constructed with materials and methods that significantly improve durability and reduce future maintenance needs.

We can meet FHWA's 25-percent goal by using high performance concrete. HPC leverages proven technologies that enable engineered structures to achieve double the useful life span of bridges constructed with conventional technology.

The inherent strengths of HPC allow for greater design efficiencies, shorter construction cycles, and lower life-cycle costs. And HPC is environmentally efficient; it's recyclable and it incorporates recovered industrial materials which include wastes and byproducts such as fly ash, slag cement, and silica fume.

Since 1991, several organizations have partnered to establish and document HPC's technical and economic advantages. This effort began with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, which provided funding through FHWA to help 13 state departments of transportation (DOTs) construct 18 high performance concrete "showcase" bridges. (2)

Partnerships between state highway agencies, industry leaders, and academia ensured the development of the necessary technologies. These showcase bridge projects confirmed the reliability and practicality of HPC technology and methods. Government engineers from both federal and state agencies proclaimed the effectiveness of high performance concrete.

The public stands to benefit from HPC bridges. A consortium of key stakeholders, including the Portland Cement Association, the Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute, and other members of the National Concrete Bridge Council (NCBC), has drafted a blueprint for implementing HPC bridge technology.

Working together, prominent members of federal and state government, private industry, and academia carefully examined the challenge; then devised four strategic goals for HPC: 1. Reduce Congestion and Improve Safety; 2. Train the Workforce; 3. Reduce Life Cycle Cost; 4. Ensure HPC Bridges Meet Expectations NCBC's recommendation for high performance concrete bridges will provide a solid return on investment for the American public. Based on the specific descriptions, implementation requirements, and timelines of the four goals contained in a document soon to be published, our HPC plan will reduce the number of deficient bridges, ease traffic congestion, and cut down bridge construction and maintenance expenses.

(1) FHWA Fiscal Year 2001 Performance Plan, November 7, 2000, Chapter 6, http:// www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/2001plan/

(2) "Compilation and Evaluation of Results from High Performance Concrete Bridge Projects--An Interim CD ", by Henry Russell, FHWA Contract No. DTFH61-00-C-00009. http:// www.nationalconcretebridge.org/ hpconcrete.html