ABSTRACT
Mandated by a legal amendment, close-up inspection of bridges has been in practice in Japan, resulting in a number of bridges being rated as unsound throughout the country. Cracks were found in ten-year-old bridges along the Noto Satoyama Driveway, which runs through the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture. These were presumably caused by the use of ASR-reactive aggregate. Large-scale repair and retrofitting of these bridges began in 1998 with no established method being available. However, local municipalities, facing reductions in maintenance budgets due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, may be unable to carry out bridge repairs. In this study, the authors conducted long-term durability tests using basalt nets, which are not liable to UV degradation, for reinforced concrete structures in service with the aim of developing an inexpensive repair method with high durability and ease of application. The results demonstrated a high durability performance brought about by this method.
