International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Case study: Widening an existing bridge structure Challenges and

solutions
Mohammad Mamon Hamdan

Civil/Structural Engineer
------------------------------------------------------------------------***-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - This paper is a study that summarizes, the commercial vehicles around the world. The increasing of
procedure used to increase the capacity of an existing vehicles around the world where associated with the
concrete bridge in the UAE. Traffic congestion is a severe construction of new roads and bridges to cope with the
problem in modern life. Severe congestion can negatively increase in traffic volume. It is important to note that the
impact the country’s economy, environment, and the health availability of good infrastructure such as roads is
of road commuters. The increase in trip duration due to important for attracting investments in different sectors
traffic congestion will result in consuming more fuel which because it facilitates the transportation of goods and
results in a higher cost of trip and more emissions which people. Roads and bridges are a vital part of the
affect both the economy and the environment. Moreover, the infrastructure. This paper will focus on the widening of
road commuter will be traveling for a long time which can existing bridges and the following topic will be discussed
affect their sleeping hours and mental health. Constructing in this paper:
more roads, and bridges and encouraging people to use
public transport are some of the measures taken to reduce  Condition survey of the existing bridge
traffic congestion. To evaluate the effectiveness of an  Challenges faced during the extension of the
existing highway, certain parameters such as traffic existing bridge
quantity, type of vehicles in the traffic stream, speed of  Stitching of existing and new bridges.
traffic stream, and the density of traffic stream will be  Protecting bridge deck from harmful chemicals
measured and assessed to determine the need for increasing  Strengthening of existing piers
the road capacity.
This paper studies the process of widening an existing
This paper considers the structural part and challenges bridge and all the constrain faced during the construction
faced during the process of widening an existing bridge stage and the implemented solutions for each constrain.
structure. The existing bridge under consideration is The constraints faced in this case study are not identical
composed of two spans with a length of 33.10 m of each for every project and they can differ for different projects
span, two abutments with pot bearing connection, a single but learned lessons can be useful and applicable
monolithic pier, asphaltic plug expansion joint at abutments, sometimes. The widening of the existing bridge was
voided post-tensioned concrete slab with concrete barriers. performed by constructing a new bridge with a width of
The decision was taken to widen the existing bridge to 8.5 m, then part of the existing structure was demolished
relieve the aggravated traffic jam problem. The and the new and old structures connected to form a new
development of residential areas nearby resulted in bridge with a width of 20.80 m. The existing and new
increasing the volume of traffic exceeding the existing road bridges were made from post-tensioned voided concrete
capacity. The new development proposal involves the slabs, the bridge deck casted at the site then stressing is
construction of a completely new bridge with 4 lanes and the performed once the concrete attains sufficient strength.
widening of the existing bridge. The final output is two Replacing existing bridge bearings, stitching work,
bridges with 4 lanes in each direction. adjusting levels in old and new structures, and matching
expansion joint gaps were the main challenges
1. Introduction encountered during the construction process.

Bridges have been used ages ago as a tool to overcome 2. Condition survey
obstacles such as rivers and deep valleys, Romans
Engineers used the arch system and stones to build many It is important to precisely assess the condition of the
bridges that still stand up to date such as the Pons existing structure. Assessment is important to determine
Fabricius bridge. The industrial revolution in the last the feasibility of keeping and widening old structures. It is
century resulted in increasing the number of personal and wise and economical to demolish old severely damaged

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1724
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

structures where the repair cost will be high and the life tolerances, and others. Monolithic bridges are constructed
span of repaired structure will be less than the new with no bearing which restrain the bridge movement and
structure. Thus, a comprehensive condition survey has generate stresses. the bearings will relieve the bridge
been performed at an early stage of the project for the movements through translation movement in both
Existing bridge to determine the structure condition and directions and rotation, relieving bridge movement will
the integrity of the structure. reduce the stresses on the bridge structure and improve
structure durability and integrity. A wide range of bearings
Conducting detailed condition survey performed in stages. are used around the world such as steel bearings,
Initially, a thorough visual inspection of structure elastomeric bearings, pot bearings, spherical bearings,
conducted for the structure to observe any possible friction pendulum bearings, etc.
damage. The visual inspection should be carried out by a
competent and experienced inspector for better results. The existing bridge bearings were replaced for the
Found defects must be recorded appropriately, Records of following reasons:
defects at inspection report must contain the location of
the defect and a clear description of the defect. Moreover,  The existing pot bearing age exceeds 25 years
photos shall be taken of each defect. In case of defects, a whereas the service life of pot bearings is 25
deeper investigation can be performed to determine the years.
extent and severity of the defect by involving non-  The sliding material (PTFE) of bearings is severely
destructive testing or by acquiring samples by coring or deformed as shown in Figure no:01
any other methods. Defects in concrete structures can be  The capacity of the existing bearing is insufficient
cracks, concrete delamination, concrete spalling, to accommodate the expected increase in load and
reinforcement corrosion, damaged bearing, damaged movement due to bridge widening.
expansion joint, etc. The condition survey of the existing
bridge structure under investigation found no severe
defects and the structure was deemed to be in good
condition and can operate safely.

3. Challenges faced during construction

Various challenges were encountered during the
construction stage. Some of these problems have been
defined and predicted during the design stage of the
project such as the difference in level between the existing
bridge and the new bridge, but others arise during the
construction stage such as damaged and cracked concrete
of the existing bridge exposed after asphalt removal and
absence of approach slab for existing bridge. the following
sections provide a glimpse of each challenge and the best Figure 1
methods used to overcome it and complete the
construction without reducing the quality or contradicting The replacement of bearings was performed by lifting the
project specifications. existing bridge by 10 mm. Hydraulic jacks were used to
gradually lift the bridge for the required duration to
3.1 Replacing existing bridge bearings replace the existing bearing with new bearings. A few
obstacles were encountered during the process of
Pot bearings were used for the existing bridge, and two replacing bearings, the main obstacle was the clashing of
bearings were used at each abutment, the used bearings bearing sole and masonry plate shear suds with existing
are guided and free bearings. The bearings are a structural reinforcement. To overcome this issue, existing
device that is used to transfer the loads from the bridge reinforcements were cut and new dowels were planted in
superstructure into the bridge substructure (abutments the bridge soffit and abutment seat as shown in Figure
and piers) and it is used to accommodate bridge no:02.
movement and rotation. The main causes of bridge
movement and rotation are shrinkage, creep, thermal
effects, traffic loads, post-tensioning, construction

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1725
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Figure 2
Figure 3
The planting of rebar dowels was performed with the use
of epoxy materials. The process involves drilling a hole 3.2 Concrete defects found at the existing bridge after
with a specific diameter and depth then epoxy material is pavement removal (cracks, rusted reinforcement,
poured into the hole and finally, the rebar is inserted into disintegrated concrete)
the hole. Successful planting of dowels requires paying
attention to some details and strictly following the Some defects were not identified during the condition
material manufacturer’s recommendations. For example, survey due to traffic above the bridge. few defects were
drilled hole diameter and depth should as specified in the identified after diverting the traffic. The overlaid asphalt
epoxy material data sheet. Also, appropriate cleaning of above the bridge deck and ramps were removed and an
the drilled hole is important to ensure proper bonding enormous number of cracks were found at the existing
between the rebar dowel and concrete. concrete top slab. Fortunately, the cracks were narrow and
shallow and don’t threaten the structure’s integrity or
Afterward, placing the bearing in the correct position was stability. However, the presence of cracks is not preferable
easy and quick. it is very important to place the bearing at and sealing of these cracks is very important to prevent
the correct position to allow for smooth transferring of the ingress of harmful chemicals. The ingress of chemicals
bridge movement and avoid stressing of bearing. can result in unwanted subsequences such as corrosion of
Therefore, the axis of bearing and orientation should not reinforcement, disintegration, and spalling of concrete.
deviate from the design. The gap below and above the The repairing of cracks method involves the following
bearing masonry and sole plate was filled with appropriate steps:
grout material. The grout material should possess
sufficient flow-ability to fill the gap between the bearing  Determine the location of cracks.
and the concrete with forming voids. Also, grout material
should produce sufficient strength (not less than concrete  Determining the size and depth of cracks.
strength) to transfer the stress efficiently. Pressurized
pumping was used to fill the gap between the bearing sole  For non-structural cracks which shallow and
plate and the bridge soffit. narrow in size, the crack is chipped preferably
into a V shape notch to allow proper filling and
bonding of repair materials with the concrete
surface.

 Before filling the cracks, the chipped area should

be cleaned from dust and any debris to ensure
proper bonding between repair material and
concrete

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1726
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

3.3 Absence of approach slab for the existing bridge

The primary function of the approach slab is to provide a

smooth transition between the roadway and the bridge
deck. in other words, it is a transition between flexible
pavement (road) and rigid pavement (bridge deck), the
presence of an approach slab will reduce the cracks in
pavement at the joining point between the roadway and
bridge deck. The approach slab is constructed at a slope
steeper than the roadway slop so it will gradually reduce
the differential settlement and prevent the formation of
cracks in the pavement as shown in Figure no:06.

Figure 4

The removal of the existing expansion joint unveils serious

defects as shown in Figure no:05, existing reinforcements
were rusted and concrete disintegrated at the expansion
joint. the primary cause of these defects could be the use of
a non-watertight expansion joint which results in Figure 6
damaging the concrete and reinforcement around the
expansion joint. The damaged area is determined by the The site verification shows the absence of an approach
sounding test. A hammer was used to determine the slab for the existing bridge. Therefore, Engineers decide to
location of the delaminated concrete. The repair of this construct a new approach slab at both ends of the bridge.
type of defect involves removing damaged concrete, Constructing a new approach slab for the existing bridge
replacing rusted reinforcement, and casting concrete. In will reduce the differential settlement and prevent the
order, to prevent the occurrence of similar defects in the formation of cracks in the pavement.
future, a watertight expansion joint is used to drain the
water away from the structure.

Figure 7

3.4 The difference in level between the new bridge

and the existing bridge

The new structure was designed with a cross-slope of 2%

for efficient draining of stormwater, while the existing
Figure 5 bridge cross-slope is almost 0%. Therefore, the cross-slope
of existing and new bridges as one unit will not be uniform.

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1727
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Therefore, leveling screed concrete was used to produce a

uniform cross-slope over the whole bridge deck. Figure
no:08 shows the difference in cross-slope between the new
and old structures and the leveling concrete screed.

Figure 9

Applied waterproofing should be tested for pull-off,

thickness, and integrity test. The performing of these tests
is very important to ensure the compliance of
Figure 8 waterproofing with requirements and that the material
will function properly and appropriately protect the
The thickness of leveling screed will vary and it will not be concrete surface. The pull-off test is important to test the
the same over the bridge deck. The thickness of the screed adhesion between waterproofing and concrete, while the
at any point will be the difference between the final road integrity test will determine the location of defect and
level, the level of deck concrete top level, and the thickness discontinuity.
of road surfacing such as asphalt and deck waterproofing.
It is important to cure casted concrete screed properly for
a sufficient time to prevent the formation of shrinkage
cracks.

3.5 Protecting bridge deck from chemicals and

weather

Protecting existing and new concrete structures from

chemicals will increase the structure’s durability and
reduce the defects during the service life of structures.
Therefore, the outer surface of the existing bridge is
repainted. Also, the bridge deck is protected with
waterproofing to prevent the penetration of chemicals
carried by stormwater. Spray waterproofing was used to
seal the deck surface below the pavement asphalt. Two
layers of spray waterproofing were applied with a total
thickness of 4 mm.

Figure 10

3.6 Strengthening of existing piers

The condition survey found the exiting pier to be in good

condition without serious defects such as cracks, concrete
spalling, or other serious defects. However, the engineer

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1728
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

decided to improve the strength of the existing pier. The bonding between concrete and CFRP. The second stage
method proposed by the engineer to strengthen the involves, preparing the CFRP sheets for installation. The
existing pier is the use of CFRP sheets (carbon fiber CFRP sheets should be prepared to the required size and
reinforced fiber polymer). SikaWrap – 300C is an example the location of CFRP sheets should be determined and
of the CFRP sheets. The SikaWrap – 300C uses as described marked. Then, the adhesive material will be mixed and
in the product data-sheet: applied to the concrete surface and the CFRP sheets will be
fixed on the adhesive properly.
 Improved seismic performance of masonry walls
 Replacing missing steel reinforcement 3.7 Expansion joint gap and construction
 Increasing the strength and ductility of columns
 Increasing the loading capacity of structural Elastomeric expansion joint was used to bridge the
elements. expansion gap and accommodate the movement of existing
 Correcting structural design or construction and new structures. The elastomeric expansion joint
defects. system is composed of a waterproofing membrane, bolts,
and the joint. The joint is made from neoprene rubber
 Increasing resistance to seismic movement
reinforced with steel plates. The performance of the
 Improving service life and durability Structural
expansion joint will depend on two factors, the expansion
upgrading to comply with current standards
joint itself and the method used for installing the
expansion joint. Proper installation of expansion joints will
ensure a long service life with less maintenance. The
engineer should consider the following points to ensure
the proper installation of the expansion joint:

1. Joint gap to be equal or lesser than joint capacity

to prevent premature wearing of joint
2. Joint top surface to be slightly below with asphalt
surface, elevated joint above the asphalt may
suffer premature wearing.
3. Installation of waterproofing membrane to drain
excess water and avoid damaging concrete in the
proximity of joint
4. Periodic cleaning of joint slots to allow joint
movement without restrain
5. Maintain the thickness of leveling mortar within
the allowable limit as per the material
manufacturer’s recommendation
6. Ensuring that the toque of bolts and nuts as
recommended by the expansion joint
manufacturer
7. Ensuring that the bolts of the expansion joint are
Figure 11 installed inside hard and reinforced concrete

The surface of the concrete should be checked and

prepared before installing the CFRP. The concrete should
be free from honeycombs, cracks, and any defects, all
defects should be repaired. Also, a pullout test shall be
conducted for the old structure to measure the tensile
strength of the concrete surface and to ensure it is as per
manufacturer requirements. If the tensile strength of
concrete is lesser than the required, then the tensile
strength of the concrete surface shall be increased by
applying epoxy. The concrete surface shall be grinded to
remove the loose layer of concrete and ensure proper Figure 12

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1729
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

The problem faced during the installation expansion joint The implementation of these precautions prevented the
is the leveling screed used to adjust the difference in level falling of concrete into the live road and eliminated any
between existing and new structures. The thickness of hazard associated with the stitching process. Another
leveling screed at some locations was almost 35 cm, concern was to prevent damaging the existing bridge deck
installing the bolts in leveling screed is not recommended during the breaking. To prevent damaging the existing
because the screed is weak and there is a high possibility bridge deck, a small breaking equipment (electrical
that it will break due to dynamic loads generated by compressor) was used to break the stitching portion. Also,
passing vehicles. Therefore, a reinforced concrete upstand the boundary of the stitching zone has been observed
was constructed at the location of the expansion joint to during the breaking process to identify any possible
allow the installation of expansion bolts inside the hard concrete defect formed during the breaking such as cracks.
substrate which prevent early damage to the expansion
joint. Moreover, the constructed upstand ensures a
uniform and aligned gap along the existing and new
structures.

Figure 13 Figure 14

3.8 Stitching works of the new structure with the old The casting of the stitching area should not be done
structure immediately after the construction of the new structure.
Casting the stitching area immediately may result in the
Stitching new and old structures was a challenging job formation of cracks due to differential deformation
because it involves breaking a portion of the old structure. between the old bridge and the new bridge. we should
Precautions were taken during the process to prevent note that the new structure will undergo a higher
damaging the old bridge. Also, to prevent the falling of deflection due to concrete shrinkage and creep.
concrete pieces into the live road. The old bridge is
crossing a main highway. Therefore, the following Another important point is the traffic on the existing
measures were implemented to prevent harming road bridge, traffic should be stopped and diverted during the
users: concreting of the stitching area. in case, it is not possible to
divert the traffic, then concrete should be cast when the
1. Construction of a platform with safety mesh below traffic volume is low.
the stitching area to prevent the falling of concrete
into the road. 5. Conclusion
2. Preventing the accumulation of concrete waste at
the constructed platform. The widening of an existing bridge is performed to ease
3. Using small equipment for breaking concrete. the traffic jam by increasing the bridge width and the
4. Working at night when traffic volume is low number of existing lanes. The existing structure should be
checked by specialists to determine the condition of the
existing structure. If the structure is severely damaged and

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1730
 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

the needed repair is expensive. Then, the demolition of the

old structure and building a new structure is more feasible.
However, if the condition survey report shows no serious
defects in the old structure, then widening the existing
structure will be more economical.

The engineer responsible for designing the new structure

should carefully consider the existing structure. Producing
a good design for a new structure with fewer mistakes
should be associated with reading the As-built drawings of
the existing structure, site verification of the location of the
existing structure foundation, site verification of the
alignment of the existing structure, etc. Despite this, some
problems may arise during construction and all parties
should cooperate to find reasonable solutions complies
with project standards and design requirements. The
above-listed challenges are examples of problems that may
be faced during the widening of existing bridges and they
may vary for other projects.

References
Nicolas J Garber, L. A. (2020). Traffic and Highway
Engineering. Boston: Cengage Learning, Inc.

R.T.L Allen, S. E. (1993). The repair of concrete strucutre.

Wester Cleddens: Blackie Academic &
Professional, an imprint of.

Sika . (2019). Product data sheet . Retrieved from Sika :

https://gcc.sika.com/content/dam/dms/gcc/b/si
kadur_-330.pdf

Wai-Fah Chin, L. D. (2000). Bridge Engineering Handbook.

Boca Raton, London, New York, Washnton : CRC
press LLC.

BIOGRAPHY
Mohammad Mamon Fayiz Hamdan
Civil/Structural Engineer
Email: [email protected]
Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering
from Birzeit university
Member of Society of Engineers/UAE
Vast Experience in construction and
consultancy works for infrastructure
projects

© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1731