The Valspar Corporation has been selected as the major supplier of concrete reinforcing steel coatings for the Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge in China. When completed in 2016, the length of the bridge will span nearly 50 kilometers (30 miles) and is expected to be the world's longest sea-crossing structure.
"Valspar is honored to be appointed the primary supplier of protective coatings for this major infrastructure project," said Roeland Polet, senior vice president of Valspar Global Industrial. "As a global leader in protective coatings backed by our unique Valspar Greenbar fusion-bonded epoxy, we are well positioned to partner with steel contractors and have the broad experience to support large-scale global projects of this nature."
Valspar Greenbar fusion-bonded epoxy (FBE) coating meets the rigorous requirements of bridge building. The coating provides optimum long-term corrosion protection for the bridge's steel-reinforcing bar, dowel bar and related bridge components; maximum flexibility for bending fabrication; and abrasion and impact resistance.
The new bridge will serve as a critical hub connecting southern Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao and be identified as a significant landmark in the Hong Kong and Pearl Delta region of Guangdong Province. The bridge width will be 33.1 meters, with a tunnel width of 2 meters by 14.25 meters and vertical clearance of 5.1 meters. The design live load for the bridge complies with both China's Highway Class I for Bridge Design Vehicle Loads and the live load provisions in the Design Manual for Roads and Railways of Hong Kong. The designed service life of the bridge is 120 years.
Valspar's Greenbar coatings have been used for more than 30 years and are installed in more than 100,000 structures worldwide. One recent project featuring Valspar Greenbar coatings is the high-speed rail network being built across China where approximately 100,000 metric tons of Valspar Greenbar coated rebar were used in the construction of railbeds. Another globally recognized project is the One World Trade Center in New York City, where an estimated 4,500 metric tons of Valspar Greenbar coated rebar were used.