Weathering steel bridge structure after 30 years of service ‐ assessment experience

The structure of 531.4 m total length bridge was made in early nineties last century and it was regarded as novelty by that time. The interesting point was that the structure was made of original Polish weathering steel prepared for bridge solutions intently. There were several trouble concerning the bridge service, steel cracks and less than expected patina growth due to the unfavorable conditions inside the box girder. Quite recently the bridge was carefully inspected as it was to be an important issue of the modern motorway. There was a question if the bridge is to be demolished, due to the corrosion and structural problems or to be preserved and extended to meet required traffic volume. There was a careful examination performed including metallurgical, corrosion and structural analysis done. The paper is to present the most important outcomes concerning mainly structural issues, but some weathering steel corrosion observation will be provided as well.