While prestressed concrete is a relatively new product -- the first use of prestressed
concrete in the United States was in a bridge, built in the early 1950s in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania -- today, about a third of all bridges built use prestressed concrete
beams.
Inherently safe
Prestressed concrete has many things going for it: no fatigue-prone details; built-in
redundancy; no special design; overloads and excess capacity; better deck durability
because of reduced deflections; better substructure stability from increased dead-loads.
Excellent riding characteristics
The public will not only be safe, but also feel secure and comfortable on a bridge
that can hold traffic vibrations to a minimum.
Efficient material usage
Prestressed concrete is engineered high technology at its best.
It is carefully designed using a variety of materials, each selected only for the
benefits it brings to get the job done.
- High strength steel prestressing strands to provide load bearing capabilities as
needed.
- Concrete to give permanence and strength and good riding characteristics.
- Reinforcing bars to further improve the long-term quality of the concrete.
Impacts local economy directly
Prestressed concrete is produced by local small business -- employing local labor.
Most of its raw materials are also locally purchased and the health of the local
prestressed concrete industry directly impacts further on the local economy.