Assessment of the Residual Life of the Repaired Arousa Bridge

This study focuses on the evolution of the Arousa Island Bridge, a critical infrastructure connecting, in northwestern Spain, the Arousa island to the Galician coast. Since its commissioning in 1985, the bridge has experienced damage due to corrosion, culminating in a major repair intervention in 20...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: José Antonio Becerra-Mosquera, Diego Carro-López, Manuel F. Herrador, Javier Eiras-López
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Infrastructures
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/6/141
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study focuses on the evolution of the Arousa Island Bridge, a critical infrastructure connecting, in northwestern Spain, the Arousa island to the Galician coast. Since its commissioning in 1985, the bridge has experienced damage due to corrosion, culminating in a major repair intervention in 2011 using hybrid galvanic cathodic protection. This repair was essential in addressing identified pathologies and ensuring the safety of the structure. In 2021, additional repairs needed to be completed, and a thorough study and testing campaign was conducted in 2023 which included the extraction of zinc anode samples from the bridge. The present work evaluates the effectiveness of the repair measures implemented since the intervention, with particular attention to corrosion risk and the durability of the cathodic protection system installed to mitigate corrosion risks in the reinforced concrete exposed to a harsh marine environment. A key aspect of this study is the correlation established between the indirect measurements utilized to evaluate zinc consumption within the cathodic protection system and the direct assessment obtained from the extraction of the anodes, which provides a tangible measure of this consumption. The calculated service life was updated with the measurement, and the integrity of the system was assessed.
ISSN:2412-3811