Considerations for coating bridges
This is a field where a protective system can be generalized less than ever. A bridge in a mountainous zone will be subject to a much lower environmental corrosion than a similar construction located near chemical industries along the coast. Even the design of the bridge can in many ways, influence the choice of the protective system as well as the maintenance schedule. Typical steel bar, cage-constructed bridges have numerous edges, nuts and bolts to protect while in suspension bridges this is certainly less.
In colder climates the use of salt as antifreeze, increase the corrosive attack tremendously. Considering that the expected life of a bridge is about a century or more we can understand why the reliability of the protective system is given the utmost importance.
