Peter J. Seibert, Shekhar K. Scindia, and Abate Tewelde / May 05, 2021 / 6 minute read The U.S. faces an unprecedented challenge in maintaining and rehabilitating its aging transportation infrastructure. Agencies in every state are looking for innovative ways to extend the life span of the existing bridges and maximize the efficiency of their limited budgets. The recently completed Delaware Memorial Bridge (DMB) pilot project demonstrated a cost-effective solution that delivered a 50-year life cycle bridge deck rehabilitation with minimal traffic disruption. The DMB is a twin steel suspension bridge with a length of 10,765 ft and a vertical clearance of approx. 174 ft. It is a vital transportation link for commerce in the Northeast and connects the states of Delaware and New Jersey over the Delaware River. It is the southernmost fixed vehicular structure over the Delaware River and often sees over 80,000 vehicles crossing daily on I-295 and U.S. Route 40. The first was originally completed in 1951 and a second was added in 1969, making it the world’s second-longest twin suspension bridge with a total of eight lanes of traffic at that time. Today, the original suspension span carries the northbound traffic for I-295, whereas the newer span carries the southbound traffic.