Rehabilitation and field testing of an FRP bridge deck on a truss bridge

A light-weight FRP deck was used, on an experimental basis, to replace a heavy deteriorated concrete deck improving the load rating of a 60-year old truss bridge located in Wellsburg, New York. This was the first such application in New York State. Load testing was conducted after installation of the FRP deck to study its behavior. Results indicated the conservative nature of the deck design, and no composite action between the deck and the superstructure. The study also shows that the joints are only partially effective in load transfer between panels.