Fortress Kevlar® Utilized on Iconic Roosevelt Bridge

The Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart Florida is a segmental bridge and an icon of the south Florida community. In 2020 reports came in that concrete was falling into the St. Lucie river below; the Coast Guard promptly shut down maritime traffic under the bridge, and the police later closed the bridge to vehicle traffic.

After careful analysis it was determined that reinforcement steel had been corroding and failing soon than expected due to excessive water and salt entry into the segmental seams. The Flordia DOT had experience solving this problem in the past, particularly with the Sawgrass Parkway bridging in Ft. Lauderdale, where Fortress Kevlar had been utilized successfully.

The Kevlar acts as a waterproofing membrane in combination with a two lift epoxy at each seam. This greatly extends the life of the steel spanning the seams and extends the time frame between repairs, saving tax payer dollars and minimizing bridge closures.