Spotlight on I-95 signals corrosion problem

It’s been a busy few weeks for us at MATCOR, and I’m just getting the chance to breathe and share a few things with all of you.

The biggest event lately was the NACE 2008 show in New Orleans. As you all know, NACE is the international organization for corrosion engineers, and our annual trade show and conference was a lot of fun.

Being in New Orleans, I got the chance to share two of my biggest passions with the crowd. Not only did we talk about my favorite topic, corrosion, but I had the chance to play sax with a couple of friends at our booth. We even had a mime walking the show floor.

More so than in past years, I saw that our industry has grown, and methods for treating or preventing corrosion have advanced significantly over the past several years. However, events outside of the show point to the overwhelming challenge of overcoming our crumbling infrastructure.

While I was at the NACE show, a portion of I-95 was shut down here in Philadelphia. It turned out that a pillar supporting a raised section of the highway showed significant spalling, referred to by the media as a crack two to three inches wide and six feet long, threatening the integrity of the structure and the safety of commuters.

Spalling in concrete is almost always caused by corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the concrete. Regardless of the nomenclature, the result is an unsafe condition. Not only is this another example of our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, but these pictures show that this wasn’t an isolated incident.

PennDoT reacted quickly to ensure public safety, but other supporting structures in the area make it obvious that corrosion is a serious problem along I-95. Surprisingly, PennDoT doesn’t really think corrosion is an issue. I even visited a nearby support structure to check it out first hand.

This week marks the 20th anniversary that the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City was closed after the discovery of a 6-foot crack caused by severe corrosion. Eerily similar, I’d say. The connection between these two events makes it obvious to me that we are in trouble.