Bridges

One of the most significant breakthrough developments in concrete technology at the end of the 20th century was that of ultra-high performance ‘ductile’ concrete (UHPdC) with compressive strength up to 200 MPa and remarkable improvements in durability, ductility and toughness. This paper presents details on the construction of a 50 metre span road bridge using UHPdC. Examples on environmental impact calculations are presented comparing design solutions with that of conventional approaches. The results show, that given the right circumstances, UHPdC structures can be more environmentally friendly than that of the conventional concrete/steel technologies in terms of reduction of CO2 emissions, embodied energy and global warming potential.