AASHTO Specifications for Sprayable Waterproofing Materials on Bridge Decks

[Ganesh Persaud]

Hello, everyone!

I’m currently working on a cable-stayed bridge project and diving into the AASHTO construction specifications to identify the minimum requirements for materials used in concrete bridge decks. Specifically, we are exploring the use of a sprayable waterproofing material to apply over the bridge deck slab after casting the leveling layer. The goal is to ensure proper waterproofing before laying the Asphalt Concrete overlay.

While AASHTO provides guidelines for traditional membrane sheets, I couldn’t find explicit minimum specifications for spray-applied materials. For example, I’m looking for criteria such as:

• Tensile strength
• Penetration resistance
• Thickness of the dried film

Does anyone have experience using sprayable waterproofing materials for bridge decks? Are there specific AASHTO sections or other references that address the use of such materials?

Any insights or recommendations on performance standards and approval pathways would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[BridgeSmith]

We are currently working on a performance-based specification for spray-on deck membranes, but it is still in development. Right now we have 3 preapproved products:

Bridge Deck Membrane, as manufactured by Bridge Preservation LLC, Kansas City, Kansas;

Deckguard® Spray-Applied Waterproofing System as manufactured by The D.S. Brown Company, North Baltimore, Ohio;

Eliminator System as manufactured by GCP Applied Technologies Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts

We're also looking at a newer product called Armourguard from Transpo

Nebraska DOT has a very thorough performance-based spec for "Cold Liquid-applied membrane" that may be available. I got a copy through a supplier of one of the membrane systems.