With work continuing on preparing the steel decks of the two cantilevers for the next week’s waterproofing, engineers have been inspecting and testing the reinforced concrete anchorage areas at the east and west ends of the bridge.The concrete anchorages create a transition area from standard road construction to the steel bridge decks and require a different inspection and preparation method before the waterproofing can be applied.
Checking that there is sufficient concrete covering the steel reinforcement before work begins on waterproofing the surface of the deck is a vital part of the preparatory work.
Using a specialist electronic device called a concrete covermeter, the engineers can accurately locate the reinforcement and measure the amount of concrete covering the steel. (today’s image shows one of these devices in use).
As previously explained the vast majority of the resurfacing works need to be carried out in dry weather. The team are monitoring the situation closely, but with the weather forecast currently predicting a significant amount of wet weather over the weekend, this will inevitably limit the amount of work which can be carried out effectively.