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6 views16 pages

2B2

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StructureClass
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Sustainable Bridge Design

What does a more sustainable bridge project look like?

Kelly Burnell, P.E. – David Evans and Associates, Inc.


Western Bridge Conference – September 21, 2009
What We’re Covering

ƒ Sustainability and the Bridge Project Life


ƒ Engineer’s Impact – Design and Construction
ƒ Engineer’s Impact – Rehab/Demo/Replace
ƒ Questions and Opportunities
What We’re Not Covering

ƒ Why sustainability is important


ƒ Transportation system planning
ƒ Relative benefits of different transportation options
ƒ Sustainability and environmental regulations
ƒ Sustainable engineering office practices
Sustainability and the Bridge Project Life

Bridge
Potential for Engineer’s
Sustainable Influence
Improvement

Transportation Bridge Design Construction Operation - Rehabilitate-


System Function Maintenance Demolition-
Replacement
Bridge Project Life
Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction

ƒ What does a more sustainable bridge project look like?


ƒ Lower energy input
ƒ Life Cycle Assessment/Greenhouse Gas Inventory
ƒ Environmental measure of all aspects of the product life
ƒ Extraction and Processing of raw materials
ƒ Using product
ƒ Recycle/disposal of used product
ƒ Transportation at all stages
Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction

ƒ What does a more sustainable bridge project look like?


ƒ Lower energy input
ƒ Life Cycle Assessment
ƒ Tools –
ƒ Athena Institute’s Life-Cycle Inventory Reports
ƒ University of Bath’s Inventory of Carbon and Energy
ƒ Carnegie Mellon’s Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment Model

ƒ Embodied Energy During Construction1


Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction

ƒ What does a more sustainable bridge project look like?


ƒ Lower energy input
ƒ Increased durability
ƒ Increased designed service life
ƒ British Standard has been 120 year design life since 1988
ƒ Many European Locations require 100 year for major bridge and
tunnel projects
ƒ Aesthetic Component
Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction

ƒ What does a more sustainable bridge project look like?


ƒ Lower energy input
ƒ Increased durability
ƒ Simplified Deconstruction
Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction
Concrete

ƒ The Good ƒ The Bad


ƒ Very durable ƒ 6-8% of anthropogenic
ƒ Abundant, local raw materials carbon emissions
ƒ Precast Options ƒ Down-cycled

ƒ ‘Green’ Concrete
Engineer’s Impact - Design & Construction
Steel

ƒ The Good ƒ The Bad


ƒ High recycled content ƒ High energy cost for virgin
ƒ Connections facilitate material
deconstruction/reuse ƒ Long term durability
Engineer’s Impact – Rehab/Demo/Replace

ƒ The Potential
ƒ Bridge preservation
ƒ The Rehab vs Replace decision
ƒ Bridge component re-use
ƒ Accurate damage detection

Transportation Bridge Function Design Construction Operation - Rehab-


System Maintenance Demolition-
Replacement
Engineer’s Impact – Rehab/Demo/Replace

ƒ The Potential
ƒ High performance materials – Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP)
ƒ Broadway Bridge – Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon
Engineer’s Impact – Rehab/Demo/Replace

ƒ The Potential
ƒ Low tech materials – Reuse of existing components
ƒ Beaver Creek Bridges – Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon
Questions and Opportunities

ƒ What can been done to facilitate more sustainable bridges?


ƒ Develop and implement project specifications leading to
extended service life in new bridges, minimum recycled
content in materials, local material usage
ƒ Implement Life-cycle Assessment/GHG Analysis early in the
project development
ƒ Focus on ease of repair/rehabilitation/reuse
Questions and Opportunities

What other questions do we need to ask?


References

1. Collings, D., An environmental comparison of bridge forms, Proc. ICE, Bridge Engineering,
Vol 159, issue BE4, Dec 2006, pp 163-168
2. FHWA (1997) Lane, Susan et. al., “High-Performance Materials: A Step Toward Sustainable
Transportation” www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/spring97/high.htm, FHWA Vol. 60, No. 4, Spring
3. Hamilton, T., “A Concrete Fix to Global Warming,” Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21117/ , MIT, July 23, 2008
4. Olofsson, J. et al., Sustainable Bridge – Assessment for Future Traffic Demands and Longer
Lives SB9.2, www.sustainablebridges.net, Sixth Framework Programme, Nov. 2007
5. Endicott, W. “A Whole New Cast” Aspire
Magazine,www.aspirebridge.com/pdfs/magazine/issue_03/mars_hill_sum07.pdf, Summer
2007 pg 26-34
6. Hunt, L.R., “Development of a Rating System for Sustainable Bridges,” Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, June 2005
7. Carbon Sense Solutions, www.CarbonSenseSolutions.com

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