Valuation of the 12 year old Concrete in the Ulkebugt Bridge, Sisimiut, Greenland

The Ulkebugt bridge is a vital connection for the town Sisimiut, as it is the only link between the airport and the town. The bridge is a box girder bridge with one central pillar. Most of the pillar’s concrete surface is exposed to seawater, with a tide variation around 4 meters. In addition to the seawater the bridge is exposed to the rough arctic climate.

Furthermore, the mean temperature is below 0 °C for two thirds of the year with many freeze-thaw passages in late autumn and early spring, which increases the opportunity for severe frost damages. The focus has been to evaluate the quality and condition of the concrete pillar in terms of composition and the extent of the present deterioration mechanisms, best represented by frost damage and chloride ingress.

Results show critical chloride content in the concrete will be reached in approximately 10 years at the depth of the reinforcement bars. However, the results also reveal the presence of some surface defects which probably is related to problems with workmanship, i.e. placing and compaction of the fresh concrete.