After 20 Winters, Less Than 2% Corrosion

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Homestead High Level Bridge is no stranger to the corrosive effects of the elements. Decades of wind, rain, snow, and especially road salt threaten the bridge’s design life .

To extend its life, PennDOT officials specified CFI’s U-104 primer and U-111 topcoat. The results were better than they expected; the bridge endured the next 20 years with virtually no corrosion.

U-104 is a moisture-cured, aluminum-filled rust preventive coating that has been proven over decades of use to be one of the most effective coatings available, even on modestly prepared steel. U-104 has been shown to last.

When applied to dry steel, even with existing rust on the surface, U-104 penetrates and bonds to good steel below, and essentially halts further corrosion.

Another benefit of U-104 is that it minimizes surface prep, which is especially important on structures like the Homestead High Level Bridge, where aggregate blasting is cumbersome and expensive. With U-104, crews simply needed to remove any loose, flaking rust and assure the surface was completely dry.

Today, a visit to Pittsburgh and a ride over the historic Homestead High Level Bridge offers a keen reminder of the determined nature of CFI’s fine line of coatings.