Bridge Resource Program Rime Webinar: Extending the Service Life of New Jersey Bridge Decks with Internally Cured High Performance Concrete: Development, Field Implementation, and Life Cycle Cost Impacts

Internally cured high performance concrete is a promising strategy for extending the service life of bridge decks in New Jersey. By replacing a portion of normal weight sand with prewetted lightweight fine aggregate, internal curing provides moisture during hydration, reducing self desiccation, early age shrinkage, and microcracking. These improvements can enhance durability and reduce long term maintenance demands.

This work combines complementary efforts on material development and economic evaluation. Rutgers, in coordination with NJDOT under the Federal Highway Administration EPIC2 initiative, led the development and assessment of internally cured concrete mixtures through laboratory testing and field implementation. The NYU C2SMART Center, in collaboration with Rutgers and NJDOT, evaluated the long term economic implications using life cycle cost analysis.

Since key inputs such as material premiums, maintenance timing, and service life remain uncertain, the cost evaluation used a stochastic framework informed by NJDOT feedback rather than a purely deterministic approach. Preliminary results indicate that, despite a modest increase in initial cost, internally cured high performance concrete can reduce agency costs by up to 40% and total costs by up to 45%. These findings support internal curing as a practical and cost effective approach for more durable bridge decks in New Jersey.

Presented by NYU’s Eren Kaval and Rutgers’ Michael Ruszala