with naturally occurring moisture and suffer severe limitations in hot conditions, which severely hampers productivity on-site. The versatility of the ELIMINA - TOR® system meant the crews could maintain pro - ductivity in hot temperatures (up to 120° F) and high periods of humidity without shutting down. On-the-spot QA tools Quality assurance (QA) was also an integral part of each step of the waterproofing project. First, adhesion test - ing was done to validate early on that there was a full chemical bond between both the waterproofing layer and the substrate below. Wet film-thickness testing was then performed to verify that the liquid waterproofing was being applied at the specified thickness. Film thick - ness was checked at the time of application rather than post-application, enabling real-time QA checks to be taken. Since this QA step could be done immediately, applica - tors were able to swiftly identify and touch up any areas in need of additional waterproof coating. The ELIMI - NATOR® system was applied in two color-coded lay - ers, making it easy to see at a glance that all surface areas were covered. This gave the applicators greater confidence that the membrane would perform optimally. A successful, fast-tracked project The combination of a high-performance waterproofing membrane and seasoned waterproofing experts working together enabled the project team to open the first span of the bridge to traffic in the summer of 2017 followed by its second span a year later. More than 50 mil- lion vehicles cross the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge annually.
GCP Applied Technologies provided onsite technical support and immediate adhesion testing to help keep the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project moving forward smoothly.
Since the ELIMINATOR system cured quickly, multiple trades could finish their work on the bridge quickly.
Preventing common application delays In addition to the demands of waterproofing such a large surface area in just three months, there were additional logistical challenges to the project. Work was being executed at other locations on the bridge deck at the time that waterproofing commenced. This could have created a problem with other waterproofing systems. However, the ELIMINATOR® waterproofing system gave the applica - tors the flexibility to have multiple crews working at the same time. They could stop the waterproofing application at a certain place and come back at time later to tie-in the day joints. In addition, the waterproofing membrane was being applied at the height of the summer. Many liquid waterproofing membranes react
TOM CARTER is Business Development Director for Stirling Lloyd Products at GCP Applied Technology in Cambridge, MA. He has over twenty years’ experi - ence working on bridge and tunnel projects and has been involved in some of the largest civil engineering projects in North America, Europe and Asia. GREG LAUGENI is the North America Technical Manager for Stirling Lloyd Products at GCP Applied Technologies in Cambridge MA. He is a qualified National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Level 3 Certified Coating Inspector/QA/QC Manager who has worked for GCP for over 4 years with nearly 35 years of cross-functional experience within the architectural, bridge, civil, and marine industries. He earned a BA degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He holds numerous certifications from The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC).
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september 2020
csengineermag.com
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