In 2009, the US Army built recycled plastic bridges for a 71-ton Abrams tank. 1 year later, Fort Eustis opened 2 thermoplastic railroad bridges to replace old timber too

Nearly one-third of the nearly 600,000 highway bridges in the US were classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the Federal Highway Administration's National Bridge Inventory.

Most bridges had been built with wood, steel or concrete, meaning the same conventional materials were commonly used for bridge replacement or rehabilitation. But growing emphasis on durability, accelerated construction and sustainability, including “Going Green,” was bringing new advanced materials onto the market.

One of them was Recycled Structural Plastic Composite, or RSPC, a thermoplastic composite developed by Axion International, Inc in conjunction with scientists at Rutgers University. The material was made from nearly 100% recycled post-consumer and industrial plastics that would otherwise have been discarded in landfills.

Recycled plastic bridges arrived at Fort Bragg in 2009

The environmentally friendly thermoplastic was first used for railroad crossties before its application was extended to bridges and structural members.

In early 2009, the world's first vehicular bridges made from recycled plastics were built at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, as per National Academy of Sciences. Virtually all of the bridge components were made from recycled plastics.

The bridges were designed for an HS25 load and the 71-ton M1 Abrams tank.

Fort Eustis replaced two old timber railroad bridges

Fort Eustis in Virginia also decided to use the material to replace two aged railroad timber bridges.

The new structures were described as the world's first thermoplastic railroad bridges. They were designed to carry a Cooper E60 and a 260-kip alternate load.

The two bridges opened in June 2010.

The paper presented a detailed design process and discussion of the solution as a cost-effective and environmentally superior approach to bridge construction and rehabilitation.

FAQs

1. What were the recycled plastic bridges made from?

They were made from Recycled Structural Plastic Composite, or RSPC, produced from nearly 100% recycled plastics.

2. Who developed the recycled plastic material?

Axion International, Inc. developed the material in conjunction with scientists at Rutgers University.

3. Where were the first recycled plastic vehicular bridges built?

They were built at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in early 2009.

4. What military vehicle were the Fort Bragg bridges designed to carry?

The bridges were designed to carry the 71-ton M1 Abrams tank.