Fifty months following its opening, the Pula Bridge, recognized as one of Croatia’s most significant infrastructure undertakings, is slated for an extensive rehabilitation project. Croatian roads has announced that the necessary structural work is anticipated to commence in October. The primary objective of the rehabilitation is to address deterioration observed in the surface layer of the bridge’s supporting concrete pillars.
According to reports from Croatian roads, the issue involves a network of visible cracks within the protective outer layer of the pillars. These fissures are accompanied by the presence of moisture and water infiltration. The depth of these structural cracks ranges between 3.5 and six centimeters.
Furthermore, the protective layer itself, which is designed to shield the main internal reinforcing steel, measures between 3.5 and seven centimeters. Structural experts have issued warnings regarding the long-term implications of this deterioration. They caution that if the rehabilitation work is not conducted, water and corrosive sea salt will eventually penetrate the protective barriers and reach the steel reinforcing bars embedded within the pillars.
This ingress poses a significant risk of corrosion to the internal metal structure. Continued neglect could ultimately lead to the deterioration and potential fracturing of individual sections of the supporting concrete structure. The planned maintenance is therefore critical to ensuring the continued structural integrity of the vital crossing.
Topics: #cracks #concrete #extensive
