Raleigh, North Carolina’s Bonner Bridge is seeing major work that will involve destroying, repairing and possibly recycling concrete from the bridge. The underside of the bridge deck needs to be repaired and redone, causing partial closures to the bridge that will go well into June 2015.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation confirmed that Chesapeake, Virginia company Precon Marine Inc will be contracted for the project. Precon Maine Inc will remove all loose and deteriorated concrete from below the bridge, then replace it with a type of shotcrete. Shotcrete is a form of concrete that is actually shot into a surface, such as a bridge, road or other structure.

There are approximately 249 areas of the Bonner Bridge that will be repaired by shotcrete during this process. In order for shotcrete to be effective, temperatures must be within the 40 degree range for the process to set. It must be 40 degrees for at least three days in a row for it to set properly. Once set, then the bridge will be properly repaired and ready to be completely open again for the public.

While the Bonner Bridge will stay open during the project, it will be reducing lanes for the safety of drivers and construction workers for the duration of the project. It’s important for commuters to pay attention to any direction or signs giving you information on the detours for the safety of everyone who uses the bridge daily. Lane closures will only take place during the weekdays and weather issues will cause construction workers to keep the bridge open for commuters for a smoother ride to and from.

Bonner Bridge’s construction project will make the bridge safe and extend its lifetime. Shortcrete is a great way to take care of issues like this with a bridge or other concrete projects, especially over a longer period of time or larger concrete structure.