10/26/2026
Many motorists probably don’t know this, but steel is an important – and hidden – ingredient in the new concrete roadway slabs that are being poured along the Pennsylvania approach to the DRJTBC’s New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge.
The underlying steel works to fortify and connect the new concrete slabs. Collectively, the different steel components work to distribute heavy loads over wider areas. The hidden steel promotes controlled cracking, increased strength, improved durability, and an extended service life for the resulting pavement.
Colored circles in the accompanying photographs identify the various pieces of steel within the new concrete slabs along the bridge’s Pennsylvania approach:
đź”´ Red circles: Road-slab rebar mesh. This steel with an uncoated finish is installed longitudinally and transversely to reinforce each concrete slab. Rebar is the key strengthening component in reinforced concrete.
🟡 Yellow circles: Rebar chairs. These epoxy-coated steel devices keep steel rebar off the ground so they get properly embedded inside poured concrete slabs.
🔵 Blue circles: Longitudinal tie bars. These epoxy-coated pieces of steel connect the sides of parallel concrete slabs, enabling multiple slabs to act as a unified unit.
🟢 Green circles: Load transfer baskets. Each assembly consists of two items: smooth epoxy-coated dowel bars and a metal subframe that holds the bars at the correct elevation and spacing when concrete gets poured around them. Each bar is pre-coated in grease to ensure movement once surrounding concrete hardens. Dowel bar midpoints are at the centerline of transverse joints. Like longitudinal tie bars, the dowel bars enable multiple slabs to act as a cohesive unit. They also allow the slabs to expand and contract.
