Fort Eustis Railroad Bridges
Fort Eustis, Virginia, United States
Client: Axion International, Inc.
Parsons Brinckerhoff Role: Design
Fort Eustis is home to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, which is the branch of the Army responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air and sea. The world’s first recycled plastic railway bridges were designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, as a subconsultant, for Fort Eustis and built from Axion International’s patented recycled structural composite (RSC), a thermoplastic solution consisting of nearly 100% recycled domestic and industrial plastic. The technology was developed in conjunction with scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey. RSC is the first known structural product of its kind capable of supporting heavy loads, and is more durable and longer lasting than traditional infrastructure materials such as wood, steel, and concrete.
The new short-span bridges extend approximately 40 and 80 feet (12.2 and 24.4 meters), respectively. Both bridges are designed to deliver a high-load rating of 130 tons, which is necessary in order to accommodate locomotives and freight traffic.
Axion’s RSC solutions are nearly maintenance-free and eco-friendly. The bridges cost less and were erected in less time than alternatives made from wood, steel, or concrete.