Highways·Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) Pound Road West Upgrade in Dandenong South·—·Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) Pound Road West Upgrade in Dandenong South

Victoria GFRP Bridge Reinforcement (Pound Road West)

100-year design life vs 30-year steel · 28% lower embodied carbon · corrosion-free bridge reinforcement

View original PDF
Key insight

While GFRP has slightly higher upfront material cost, it eliminates the dominant lifecycle cost of steel infrastructure — corrosion repair. In Australia, corrosion of steel reinforcement costs AU$13bn annually.

Transferability to UK: HighGFRP rebar is directly applicable to UK bridges, coastal highways, tunnels and road infrastructure where corrosion is the primary long-term maintenance cost dri

Over 1,000 GFRP rebar bars replaced conventional steel in a new bridge's retaining walls and a 6km shared path in Victoria, Australia. Unlike steel (30-year lifespan before corrosion-related deterioration), GFRP is non-corrosive with 100+ year design life — directly relevant to UK coastal and road environments where de-icing salts and humidity accelerate steel degradation.

Climate drivers

Heavy rainfallHigh temperatures

Impacts

→Steel corrosion→Concrete spalling→Infrastructure deterioration

Adaptation measures

  • Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebar
  • Corrosion-resistant bridge panels
  • GFRP-reinforced shared path

Assets affected

BridgeRoad pavementShared user paths

Investment

AU$33k for GFRP component; AU$100–150m total project contract

Band: Under £1m (GFRP component)

Delivery period

—

  • Steel corrosion across road and rail is being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change .
  • Corrosion of reinforced concrete leads to costly maintenance, repairs and replacements, and indirect costs associated with operational disruption and safety hazards . It is estimated that repairs and replacements associated with steel corrosion cost around AU $13 billion (~£6.4 billion) each year in Australia .
  • Corrosion of steel occurs when the relative humidity of the air is 70% to 80% and the air temperature is above 0°C . Rates of corrosion are expected to significantly increase in coastal and inland regions in Australia due to climate change, with increases in moisture and temperature expediting the corrosion of steel in concrete structures .
  • Extreme weather events and flooding also promote the corrosion of steel reinforcement and place additional loading on infrastructure . The flooding in Brisbane in 2022 resulted in infrastructure damage which was exacerbated by the corroded steel reinforcements . Damage to public infrastructure from the flooding is estimated to have cost $492 million .

Ref: ID_20 · Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) Pound Road West Upgrade in Dandenong South · Curated & verified by HIVE

Transferability to UK: High

GFRP rebar is directly applicable to UK bridges, coastal highways, tunnels and road infrastructure where corrosion is the primary long-term maintenance cost driver. Particularly relevant in coastal splash zones and areas with heavy winter de-icing salt use.

UK contexts

UK coastal highway bridgesMotorway bridges subject to de-icing saltRail and road tunnelsFlood-exposed bridge abutments

Applicable UK-wide

Transfer to other sectors (AI)