Clare County Road Commission building bridges with a new material that prevents potholes

The Clare County Road Commission is a step ahead when it comes to innovative ways of doing things.

They’ve spent the last few years working with the University of Michigan to create Ultra High-Performance Concrete.

Unlike typical concrete made of stones, UHPC mainly comprises powder, sand and steel fibers.

“It’s a super dense product that has a higher breaking strength. No aggregate and no stone. It’s impermeable to water and should last a lifetime,” said Greg Hilyard, road foreman, Clare County Road Commission.

“The breaking strength of global conventional concrete is around 4,000 PSI, and ours is breaking at 25,000 PSI,” explained Shawn Burger, bridge coordinator, Clare County Road Commission.

Since UHPC doesn’t crack, that means no potholes.

“I did concrete 20 years ago, and who would have thought that there would be a product like this,” added Hilyard.

So far, the road commission has built two bridges with UHPC.

They say it costs more but will pay off in the long run.

The University of Michigan has extensively researched UHPC and believes it will last 100 years without any maintenance.

The road commission plans on having five bridges completed by the end of the year.