AWARD OF MERIT: Special Projects Category

ORIGINAL PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL BUS PARKING AND REPAIR FACILITY

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Submitted by Masonry Preservation Group

The Philadelphia School District is ranked eighth on the list of most populated school districts in the United States. One of the many daily responsibilities of the school district includes transportation of 40,000 students.

The 2600 North Broad Street building is a two-story structure that serves as the garage and maintenance facility for the buses that transport these students. Years of exposure to deicing salt and water had caused extensive spalling on both the top surface and underside of the deck. Since the surface had been designed for lighter vehicles, there were also areas of the slab that were under-designed for the additional weight of the buses. The root cause of the problem on the top surface was reinforcing steel corrosion accelerated by water. On the bottom surface, the root cause was carbonation.

Repairs that were performed included a new concrete overlay, strengthening of the slabs and waterproofing of the deck and non-traffic bearing areas. Epoxy injection of structural cracks and treatment of the carbonated concrete with corrosion inhibitors were also performed. One of the most challenging aspects of the job was the production, storage and mixing of 1.5 million lb (680,389 kg) of prebagged concrete. The use of ready mix trucks to transport the dry material, with the addition of water and mixing on site, was unheard of before this application.

The $2.9 million repair project is a picture-perfect illustration of a true repair project done right. Proven repair methods and techniques, coupled with innovative application methods, helped accomplish the goals of the owners—a challenging project completed on time and on budget.

Owner
School District of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Project Engineer/
Designer
Maitra Associates
Bridgewater, New Jersey

Repair Contractor
Masonry Preservation Group, Inc.
Merchantville, New Jersey

Materials Suppliers/
Manufacturers
Sika Corporation
Lyndhurst, New Jersey

Woodbury Cement
Woodbury Heights, New Jersey