Pulaski Skyway

Infrastructure rehabilitation is a major political issue in the USA, where estimates suggest that more than 70,000 bridges are now structurally obsolete.

This priority was anticipated by the FHWA, which has carried out tests for many years to identify the most permanent, highly durable and flexible solutions for use in rehabilitation projects whose urgency reflects the need to maintain mobility and traffic flow on a continuous basis.

The Pulaski Skyway is a bridge that many will recognize instantly - as a signature backdrop to the popular television series, "The Sopranos". Named after General Casimir Pulaski, a War of Independence hero and "Father of the American Cavalry", this four-lane highway bridge is one of the major links between Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey.

More than 40 meters above the Passaic River, which it crosses with two main spans of 170 meters, the steel structure soars above the industrial suburbs of Jersey City for more than 5.5 kilometers.

Since work began, the duration of this project has been a major concern to the 74,000 motorists who use it every day. The Pulaski Skyway needed extensive restructuring work involving total replacement of the deck with precast concrete panels. Ductal® Infrastructure joint fill provides the opportunity to adopt a solution whose strength and weather resistance has been validated by more than 2 million wheel load test cycles (fatigue testing). Stronger than the panels it connects, the Ductal® joints will transform what is typically a point of weakness into a point of superior strength.

The solution is more economical, because it is easy to apply on-site and its estimated working life is measured in centuries.

This project is the largest Ductal® joint fill project to date and proves that this solution has succeeded in convincing America's bridge and road engineers - some of the most cautious in the world - of its strengths and benefits.