ABSTRACT
Norway has a high percentage of bridges compared to the total road length. Several bridges are exposed to extreme weather conditions. A considerable number of bridges was built in the period of 1960 – 1990 and among these, several bonded post-tensioned, which potentially had issues during execution. There were no explicit requirements for the inspection and assessment of post-tensioned components in bridges until 2021.
Post-tensioning concrete has been considered as a reliable and efficient construction method, demanding little maintenance in comparison to traditionally reinforced concrete. The awareness of the possibilities of severe damage on post-tensioned bridges built has increases considerably during the last years. The lack of systematic inspection routines was realized, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration therefore initialed an activity on assessment and inspection of post-tensioned bridges The paper will present the results from the R&D projects and todays approach for assessing and inspection post-tensioned bridges in Norway.
