Accelerated Building & Bridge Construction with UHPC

UHPC, which stands for Ultra High-Performance Concrete, is a testament to the ever-evolving panorama of construction materials, promising unparalleled strength, durability, and versatility; in fact, the word concrete itself is a misnomer for this fibrous composite material, which has been attracting significant attention in recent years due to its exceptional mechanical and durability properties, revolutionizing the way we conceive and construct infrastructure projects worldwide. Dr. Satish Jain, Managing Director, UHPC India Pvt. Ltd., delves into the fascinating world of UHPC, exploring its applications, and the ways in which it is reshaping the construction industry.


One of the most striking features of UHPC is its ultra-high compressive strength at 150 MPa coupled with post-peak strain hardening tensile ductility. UHPC has a discontinuous pore structure that reduces liquid ingress, significantly enhancing its durability as compared to conventional and high-performance concretes. Consequently, UHPC structures exhibit prolonged service life and reduced or negligible maintenance requirements, thus offering significant long-term cost savings.

UHPC finds applications across a diverse range of industries from civil infrastructure to architectural design and more. In the field of transportation infrastructure, UHPC has been instrumental in the construction of bridges, viaducts, and highway barriers where its high strength-to-weight ratio and durability offer significant advantages in terms of load-bearing capacity and structural resilience. Similarly, in the field of architecture, UHPC enables the creation of innovative façades, cladding systems, and parametric sculptural elements, pushing the boundaries of design possibilities while ensuring structural integrity and longevity.

In the realm of construction, whether it's for economic reasons or to respond swiftly to urgent infrastructure needs, accelerating building and bridge construction has become a crucial goal for engineers and developers. UHPC has emerged as a game-changer in this pursuit.

Structural elements made with UHPC are typically fifty to sixty percent lighter than prestressed concrete elements. When compared to steel section, they mimic them in size and weight. This makes UHPC an ideal material to not only produce precast elements such as beams, columns, façade panels, and cladding elements but also reduces erection time and costs. Precast UHPC elements can be manufactured off-site and on-site, allowing for accelerated construction and improved quality control. Use of UHPC structural elements also helps in reduction of seismic weight of the structure as compared to concrete structures, thus enhancing the structure’s seismic resilience.

UHPC overlays are increasingly being used to rehabilitate and strengthen existing bridge decks. These thin overlays provide an impermeable barrier, protecting the underlying structure from moisture and chloride ingress while improving skid resistance and ride quality. UHPC minimizes wheel-path abrasion occurring on the riding surface of the bridge deck eliminating the need for a wearing coat. Use of UHPC enables quick restoration of traffic services within a period of three days from casting in comparison to other high strength materials that would require a 7-to-28-day cycle to achieve the required strengths.


While the initial costs for UHPC may be higher, its prolonged lifespan and reduced maintenance needs outweigh alternative solutions. Among the initial installations of UHPC bridge deck overlays, one notable case is that of Châteauneuf-Conthey, Switzerland, in 2004. The primary aim of implementing the UHPC overlay was to waterproof the deck and halt the ongoing deterioration of concrete and steel attributed to water and chloride infiltration. Evaluation of the UHPC overlay's performance was conducted after approximately a decade of service. It was determined that the UHPC overlay was functioning according to expectations, with elevated chloride levels detected only within the uppermost 2.5 mm layer of the overlay.

UHPC plays a significant role in Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques, which aim to minimize traffic disruption and expedite project delivery. Prefabricated concrete bridge elements, such as deck panels, abutments, and piers, are often connected using UHPC joints or stitching, allowing for rapid assembly and installation on-site. These joints are not only robust and long lasting, but also exhibit ultra-high bond strength with both reinforcing and prestressing steel. This results in short development lengths, thus shortening the stitch width when compared to conventional joints.


Additionally, UHPC joints also present a feasible option for rectifying deteriorated or leaking existing connections, as well as addressing elements demonstrating differential deflection due to substandard connections. In 2016, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) undertook the rehabilitation of the Martin Downs Boulevard Bridges over Danforth Creek in Palm City, Florida. This involved the removal of the existing traditional partial-depth grouted shear keys and the substitution of the extracted concrete with UHPC. The aim was to establish a new, enduring connection and reinstate composite action between the beams, thereby eliminating discrepancies in deflection between elements.

Despite its myriad benefits, widespread adoption of UHPC faces several challenges, including higher financial commitments with long term benefits, limited standardization, and the need for specialized expertise in manufacturing and construction. Addressing these challenges will require concerted efforts from industry stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers to drive innovation, optimize production processes, and establish comprehensive guidelines for design and implementation. Moreover, ongoing research endeavors aimed at enhancing the sustainability of UHPC through the incorporation of alternative binders, recycled aggregates, and carbon-neutral production methods hold promise for further advancing its adoption and reducing its environmental footprint.

A Glance into UHPC India Pvt. Ltd. (UIPL)

UIPL is India’s first commercial manufacturer of Dry Premix of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) since 2020. UIPL engages in manufacturing, supply, design and analysis, training of contractors and project management of UHPC for varied applications, both structural and architectural. UIPL head office is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

UIPL has been actively involved in multiple projects nationwide, offering innovative solutions, and employing UHPC in diverse structural applications, since its inception. UHPC has been employed in various projects to bring down the member sizes, to achieve shorter construction timelines as well as being used for retrofitting applications also. A few of the recent projects of UIPL wherein UHPC helped accelerate the construction process have been discussed in subsequent sections.

The fast-paced construction of the roof system for a banquet hall using UHPC (Project: GCC Emerald, Mira Road)

The original construction plan aimed to complete the construction up to the roof level of the banquet hall by the end of September 2022 for handover to the internal finishes team. However, persistent rainfall had a detrimental impact on the foundation work, leading to delays in the construction timeline. To expedite floor construction, UIPL proposed a precast construction scheme utilizing UHPC. The new plan involved casting precast elements (UHPC Beams and reinforced concrete (RC) Slab Panels) on-site concurrently with foundation work, followed by their subsequent erection. Use of precast elements helped eliminate 9m high scaffolding work, saving approximately two months of construction time. The precast elements were intended to be stitched with cast-in-place UHPC joints. This revised scheme ensured the completion of floor construction within four days, four weeks ahead of the target date.

Repair of post tensioning anchorage zone of box girder system (Project: Mumbai Coastal Road)

Poor concreting at the anchorage zone of one of the post-tension box segmental box girders had led to bursting during the stressing stage. Immediate repair was required for the fast-paced project. Reinforcement congestion at the anchorage zone also posed a challenge to using conventional repair materials. UHPC with its exceptional flow, high initial strength gain, excellent bond and tensile behavior became the material of choice for the repair. UIPL provided the material and services required for the job. UHPC gained over two-thirds of its characteristic strength (fck = 150 MPa) which enabled the stressing of the damaged anchorage zone within three days after casting.

UHPC overlay to strengthen Railway Over Bridge (Project: Dedicated Freight Corridor, RoB Saphale)

The bridge deck of RoB at Saphale, a part of the Dedicated Freight Corridor system connecting Mumbai to Delhi, was designed for M40 grade concrete. Unfortunately, the 40 mm of concrete showed several cracks and was deemed to be low quality. In addition, one of the post-tension anchorage zones had also burst. This problem was delaying the track completion and commissioning of this phase of the Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor.

UIPL was approached to provide an accelerated solution that would also provide a 100-year service life. A thin UHPC overlay was designed to fix the problem. This required removing the top 40mm of concrete cover and creating adequate roughness for bonding with the UHPC overlay. A 50 mm thick UHPC was laid over the prepared concrete roughened surface. During the process, the anchorage zone was also filled with UHPC. This ensured not only sufficient compressive strength of the bridge deck, but also made the bridge deck more durable and maintenance free for a longer period, with minimal added dead load. As UHPC gains quick strength, all other activities were completed in a short schedule and traffic opened over the RoB.


In conclusion, UHPC has the potential to make a paradigm shift in the construction industry due to its unmatched longevity, robustness, and adaptability. By enabling accelerated building and bridge construction, UHPC not only reduces project durations and costs but also enhances the sustainability and resilience of structures. By leveraging UHPC in infrastructure projects, we can extend the lifespan of structures, minimize maintenance needs, and decrease the overall environmental footprint. Moreover, UHPC's ability to facilitate slender designs and intricate shapes enables efficient use of materials, reducing waste and conserving resources. Incorporating UHPC into sustainable construction practices not only enhances structural performance but also promotes responsible stewardship of our natural resources, contributing to a more resilient and environmentally conscious built environment for future generations. As ongoing research and innovation continue to unlock new possibilities, UHPC is poised to play an increasingly transformative role in shaping the future of construction.

UHPC India Pvt. Ltd. (UIPL) eagerly anticipates making substantial contributions by championing and spearheading the adoption and progress of cutting-edge solutions and technologies utilizing UHPC. Our goal is to harness the full potential of UHPC to greatly enhance the construction and infrastructure industry.

About Author

Dr. Satish Jain, Ph.D. PE, SE (USA) Managing Director, UHPC India Pvt. Ltd.
With over 23 years’ experience in structural engineering, Dr. Jain has engaged in projects across both India and the USA. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Structural engineering from Iowa State University, USA. His expertise spans areas such as designing with UHPC, concrete, steel, prestressing, and performance based seismic design. Dr. Jain is credited with founding India’s first commercial indigenous UHPC premix manufacturing unit and his current initiatives involve promoting the use of UHPC in India through design, material manufacturing, and project management services. Dr. Jain chairs the UHPC Technical Committee of the Indian Concrete Institute and is also a Member of the IRC Sub-committee B-4.5 on UHPC.

Photo courtesy: UHPC India Pvt. Ltd.