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Super•Cor® beats concrete spans on cost, maintenance.
Safety, ease of construction, and reasonable turnaround time are all major factors influencing choices of product. Cost effectiveness is also assuming a growing role in that decision-making process. For road engineers in Kings County, NB, Super•Cor® met every criteria.
The winning Super•Cor® bid was over $300,000 less than the lowest concrete bid.
The job was the Passekeag Road overpass for the new Route 1 Highway between Saint John and Sussex. Tenders went out for two options. Alternative A: two 33 m single-span, pre-stressed concrete girder bridges. Alternative B: a Super•Cor® arch. There were ten bidders in total for both options. While all ten bid on the Super•Cor® alternate, only six bid on the concrete structure. The winning Super•Cor® bid was over $300,000 less than the lowest concrete bid. For Tim MacDonald, C.E.T., from AIL's Head Office in Dorchester, these figures are significant.
"As road construction firms become more familiar with Super•Cor®, they're realizing the installation and maintenance benefits and savings that go along with our product."
Construction took a fraction of the time of concrete.
The Passekeag project was certainly a case in point. With a maximum span of 14.1 m, a rise of 6.8 m, this was a major construction job. Even with a month of solid rain, the project was completed in two and a half months. It would have taken at least six to eight months to complete the project using the two concrete bridges.
And the savings continue for over 75 years.
Super•Cor® also promises big savings down the road. "It's certainly a lot less expensive to maintain - no expansion joints, and no deck replacement over the life of the structure. Since this span is designed to last at least 75 years, there are real savings over time."
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