Interstate 405 (I-405) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. The entire route is known as the northern segment of the San Diego Freeway. I-405 is heavily traveled by both commuters and freight haulers along its entire length and is the busiest and most congested freeway in the United States.

Decades of heavy use on the 405 has resulted in severe cracks, bumps, and ruts. In the past, polyester concrete overlays have been selected to repair damaged and broken panels.  This material has been used on hundreds of bridge deck overlay projects, as well as for repairs to damaged and spalled concrete roadway panels and cast-in-place concrete roadways.  However, the polyester concrete resulted in numerous problems, the most notable are:

• delamination of the polyester from the bridge-deck
• cracking of the polyester overlay
• the polyester overlays are very slippery when wet, causing huge public safety concerns
• the material is highly flammable and high in VOC’s

Caltrans partners with FasTrac

As one of the national leaders in promoting environmentally safe products and materials, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) has employed an on-site environmental hygienist to monitor the dangerous toxic polyester resin emissions.  Additionally, a public safety plan is always prepared in the event of levels being too high, and the workers must wear special protective suits and breathing apparatus on large scale projects. 

Looking for an alternative, Caltrans approached FasTrac Construction Products about their Hybrid Polymer Concrete (HPC).  After months of lab evaluation, safety and environmental testing, and observance of several test slab repairs installed in the greater Los Angeles area, Caltrans decided to move forward with replacing the polyester material with FasTrac HPC.

The FasTrac CE 700 HPC Hybrid Polymer Concrete overlay was placed on the West Van Nuys Overhead Bridge approach slabs with the intention of replacing polyester concrete overlays for bridge decks, slab-on-grade panel repairs, and general spall repair.

The I-405 project is the fourth HPC specified project by CALTRANS in the State of California, the first in District 7 Los Angeles, and the biggest in California.  The FasTrac Hybrid Polymer Concrete now provides Caltrans a safer and more environmentally friendly high-performance material. 

FasTrac Hybrid Polymer

FasTrac CE700 HPC is a three-component hybrid polymer concrete system containing engineered polymer resins and specially selected aggregates. When properly mixed, the reacted chemistry produces a durable polymer concrete composite designed for bridge deck overlays, patching, and resurfacing applications. Specifically designed to resurface and restore prepared concrete surfaces from ½” to 12” in one application lift. The system can be utilized for variable depth cross sections. Return to traffic within 3 hours.

Where to use

• Bridge deck resurfacing
• Concrete repair
• Grade correction
• Elevated parking structure overlays

Features

• Rapid return to traffic – less than 3 hours
• Impermeability provides excellent protection against chloride intrusion increasing structure life
• High abrasion resistance
• Low modulus formula produces less stress on the substrate
• Excellent thermal compatibility
• No volatile chemical odors, zero VOC.
• Durable in extreme climatic conditions
• Self-priming, no primer required
• Freshly placed system can be tined to produce a traction profile
• Optional high friction aggregate surface can be added for increased traffic safety