Electrochemical chloride extraction offers a promising new technology for rehabilitating and protecting concrete components of bridges. The ECE process is fast and economical and, because it reduces the time it would take to replace structural components by conventional methods, there are fewer traffic delays to snarl commuters, residents, and businesses. "In the past five years, the ECE process has become nationally recognized as a promising technology that can benefit the owners of thousands of reinforced concrete structures," says Donald Jackson of the Federal Highway Administration.

The District of Columbia’s Department of Public Works saved approximately $250,000 and six months of construction time on its first ECE project, which involved rehabilitating the abutments on the Eastern Avenue bridge. The bridge was built in 1934. The bridge deck was replaced using conventional construction methods but, since the bridge abutments showed signs of only minor corrosion, they were suitable for treatment with ECE. The ECE process mitigates the effects of the corrosion and eliminates the need to totally reconstruct the damaged sections.

Gary Burch of DCDPW says, "Any rehabilitation technique that allows us to keep a bridge open and minimize congestion is worth studying." To showcase this new technology, DCDPW and FHWA held an open house, inviting state transportation agencies and consultants to take a firsthand look at the Eastern Avenue project, which is jointly funded by DCDPW and FHWA.

Larry Lundy from the Virginia Department of Transportation was glad he drove up from Richmond to attend the open house. "I had never seen an ECE system in place, although I had read about the technology and was very interested in it. The open house helped me understand the process, particularly how it is applied on vertical surfaces, and gave me a chance to see the magnitude of the equipment needed."

James Cheatham of FHWA’s DC Division says, "ECE offers benefits over conventional means of bridge rehabilitation or replacement because this technology requires less disruptive and expensive rehabilitation work, can extend the service life of the structure by as much as 12 to 15 years or more, and can save construction time. The District, as the nation’s capital and a major urban area, should be a laboratory for testing new technologies such as the ECE process."