In 2013, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (then the Department of Roads) applied penetrating concrete sealer (PCS) to the concrete median barriers along three of the state’s highways in an effort to mitigate deterioration. With additional concrete barriers scheduled for the same treatment in 2022, the agency sought to better understand the sealant’s effects, optimal application rates and whether surface preparation improves performance.
After power-washing a section of the barrier, maintenance crews applied PCS and compared the results with an unwashed and PCS-treated control section. Cores drilled from both sections showed that the sealer penetrated more deeply into the power-washed section, leading to new agency requirements for preparing and treating concrete median barriers along state highways.
Read the final report: Resealing Concrete Median Barriers With Penetrating Concrete Sealers, May 2022
Image source: Nebraska Department of Transportation