Paint inspections were performed on 19 steel bridges. Those structures employed various high-performance sacrificial and barrier paints. Those paints were used singly and in combination. The surface preparation varied for some of those paint systems.
The inspections included four girder bridges that had original paint and 15 others, mostly trusses that were repainted. Kentucky Transportation Center personnel also monitored several bridges during repainting operations. The inspections revealed that the original paint was in excellent condition. Most of the coatings on the repainted bridges were performing well. Some of those bridges have some spot corrosion. Only one of those bridges showed signs of widespread coating failure.
The high-performance coatings were performing well. Most of the corrosion and paint deterioration observed is believed to be related to inadequate surface preparation. Paint inspection provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is good
