The Partnership for Innovation (PFI) Project at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) has two primary objectives. The first objective is to develop novel precast concrete bridge elements to resist loads such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. without being damaged. Since reinforced concrete bridges are essential links within any major highway transportation system, they need to be conceived so that minimal traffic disruption occurs after these extreme loading events. The second objective is to adopt the concept of Design for Deconstruction (DfD) so that bridge columns and their components can be disassembled and reused or recycled at the structurea??s end-of-life, thus reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint during material extraction and manufacture. This is especially important for RC bridges, considering that CO2 emissions due to cement production account for 5% of the global anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to fostering a sustainable or a??greena?? design practice, the project objectives are essential elements of a new paradigm, a??Highways for Life (HFL)a??, that has been coined by the Federal Highway Administration, for the US highway industry aimed at advancing long lasting highways through innovation.
