Purdue Univ. research is enabling Indiana to improve bridges in
the state with a new "internally cured" high-performance
concrete. "This material will reduce maintenance costs and allow
bridge decks to last longer," says Jason Weiss, a professor of
civil engineering and director of Purdue's Pankow Materials
Laboratory. "Our testing indicates that internally cured high-
performance concrete experiences substantially less cracking and
concrete damage caused by deicing salt and, when properly
designed, the service life of bridge decks can be greatly
extended." The Joint Transportation Research Program, a
partnership between the Indiana Department of Transportation
(INDOT) and Purdue, worked with Weiss and INDOT to create
specifications for implementing the internally cured high-
performance concrete. It will be used on four bridges this year,
the first of which will be on State Road 933 in St. Joseph
County. "We anticipate these relatively minor changes to our
concrete specifications to substantially extend the li