CONCRETE INTERNATIONAL

JUNE 2023 V. 45 No. 6

V. 45 NO. 6
FORMWORK

35 The Heart of
Innovation in
SPARK, Saudi
Arabia
JUNE 2023
The Heart of Innovation in
SPARK, Saudi Arabia
The first bridge deck reinforced with GFRP bars in the GCC

by Eid H. Bader, Julien M. Saade, Muhammad K. Rahman, Oscar D. Salazar Vidal, Sami A. Al-Abduljabbar,
Muhammad S. Hameed, and Zaid N. El Majali

K
ing Salman Energy Park (SPARK), an industrial city
in Saudi Arabia, is a multibillion-dollar development
project positioned as an industrial ecosystem and
energy hub that will attract and host vibrant and internationally
recognized energy organizations. SPARK is also a leading
contributor to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative in its
efforts to support the Kingdom’s diversification goals. As a
part of these efforts, SPARK has announced the deployment
of multiple highly innovative and sustainable construction
solutions. Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, as a
reinforcement in concrete structures, are one of these leading
technologies to help SPARK obtain Leadership in Energy and Fig. 1: SPARK bridge after completion
Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
The industrial city consists of three main zones, including
There are more than 617,000 traditional bridges in the
an industrial community, a nonindustrial community, and a
United States, of which 259,000 (42%) are at least 50 years
logistic zone. The city is strategically positioned along the
old, and 46,154 (7.5%) are considered structurally
proposed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Line, also known
deficient.1 Rehabilitation costs for these bridges are
as the Gulf Railway, which will connect the six GCC member
estimated at 125 billion USD.1 Prevailing harsh
states in Eastern Arabia for ease of access and trade with
environmental and weathering conditions cause steel
local, regional, and international markets.
reinforcement to corrode, leading to cracking and damage
The SPARK bridge (Fig. 1) was built in Buqayq to direct
to reinforced concrete structures, such as concrete
vehicular traffic to the main entrance of the industrial city.
pavements, foundations, sidewalks, and bridges. To
Constructed in 2020, the 71 m (233 ft) long bridge with
construct more durable and sustainable infrastructure that
precast/prestressed concrete girders and a concrete deck
can withstand adverse exposure conditions, corrosion-free
reinforced with GFRP bars is the first of its kind in the GCC.
nonmetallic materials such as glass fiber-reinforced
Located just 24 km (15 miles) from the Arabian Gulf coast,
polymer (GFRP) bars can be used as a viable, more
the bridge is exposed to harsh environmental conditions
durable, and sustainable alternative to steel reinforcement.2
characterized by high ambient salinity, high humidity, and
Currently, in North America, there are more than 267
windblown salt-contaminated dune sands. In such an
bridges designed and built using fiber-reinforced polymer
environment, GFRP bars eliminate the risk of future
(FRP) bars—65 in the United States and 202 in Canada.3
deterioration of the concrete due to corrosion.
To advance knowledge and applications of
nonmetallic building materials, including GFRP
SPARK Bridge Team reinforcement, Saudi Aramco collaborated with ACI to
The industrial city is being developed, operated, and
establish NEx: An ACI Center of Excellence for
managed by Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Authority for
Nonmetallic Building Materials. Several global GFRP
Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON). Saudi
bar manufacturers, including IKK Mateenbar, are active
Aramco’s Consulting Services Department (CSD) was
members of NEx.
engaged during the development of design engineering

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 packages and specifications for the
bridge. The Project Management Team
(PMT) of Saudi Aramco was
responsible for overseeing all aspects
related to the construction of the bridge
and ensuring compliance with the latest
engineering standards and material
specifications mandated by Saudi
Aramco. The structural design for the
SPARK bridge was carried out by Saudi
Arabian Parsons Ltd. (SAPL), an
international design firm that specializes
in civil engineering, architecture, and
project management. The bridge
(a) construction was completed by Shibh
Al-Jazira Contracting Company
(SAJCO), a construction company that
specializes in delivering high-quality
construction solutions for a wide range
of civil projects. The manufacturer of
GFRP bars for the project was IKK
Mateenbar, a leading producer of GFRP
bars located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
IKK Mateenbar was previously known
as Pultron Composites.
(b)
Concrete Reinforcement
Saudi Arabia is predominantly using
epoxy-coated reinforcement (ECR),
which meets the latest Ministry of
Transport (MOT) standards for bridges.
Saudi Aramco is now leading the way in
Saudi Arabia by showcasing the benefits
and advantages of using GFRP bars
instead of ECR. The use of nonmetallic
materials in corrosive environments
eliminates maintenance costs and
increases the service life of concrete
structures by more than 100 years.2
These advantages align with Saudi
Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of using
more sustainable materials to diversify
the Kingdom’s economy and reduce
energy consumption to lower total CO2
emissions.

Saudi Aramco Standards

Saudi Aramco published a fiber-
reinforced polymer (FRP) bar
specification (12-SAMSS-0274) in 2017.
That was followed by an engineering
(c) standard (SAES-Q-0015) incorporating
FRP bars as a direct replacement for
Fig. 2: Bridge design drawings: (a) project master plan; (b) bridge plan view; and (c) bridge reinforcing steel bars and ECR in
section view (from Reference 10) corrosive environments. FRP bars were

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mandated in various noncritical structural applications. These
include, but are not limited to, slabs-on-ground, surface
drainage channels, sidewalks, concrete pavements, and pipe
sleepers. The use of FRP dowels at joints in concrete pavement
and slab-on-ground applications, to limit restraint of expansion
and contraction movements, was also permitted in the Saudi
Aramco standards as a substitute for steel, epoxy-coated, and
stainless-steel dowels. The standard also allows for adjustments
in concrete mixture design, concrete cover, and concrete
durability protection measures to further capitalize on the
benefits of using FRP reinforcement. SAES-Q-001, published (a)
in 2023,6 has expanded the use of FRP reinforcement to all
concrete exposure conditions except for sulfur pits construction.

Conversion to GFRP Bars

The CSD initially proposed the use of ECR in the design of
the SPARK bridge back in 2017. To promote the use of
nonmetallic materials in structural applications, the CSD
expanded the use of GFRP bars by including them in the
superstructure of the bridge, knowing that it is a critical
structural component exposed to a wide variety of dynamic
vehicular loads. The design was subsequently revised to (b)
include GFRP reinforcement in the detailed design stage as a
Fig. 3: Cross sections: (a) bridge deck; and (b) approach slab (from
replacement for the traditional ECR in the bridge deck,
Reference 10)
approach slabs, and barriers. Helically grooved GFRP bars
were chosen to be used on the project.

Structural Design • Hypothetical single axle load of 320 kN (71,940 lb);

The SPARK bridge was designed using AASHTO LRFD • Concrete strength of 35 MPa (5080 psi) for the
Bridge Design Guide Specifications for GFRP-Reinforced superstructure deck slab, New Jersey (NJ) barriers, and
Concrete,7 ACI 440.1R-15,8 ASTM D7957/D7957M-17,9 and approach slab;
12-SAMSS-027.4 • GFRP bars with tensile modulus of elasticity of 40 GPa
The SPARK bridge is a four-lane, two-span bridge with a (5800 ksi) and tensile strength of 550 MPa (79,770 psi);
clear span of 35.6 m (116.8 ft) and a width of 23.6 m (77 ft) • Cement content of 400 kg/m3 (674 lb/yd3);
(Fig. 2). The superstructure of the bridge comprises 14 adjacent • Concrete cover of 40 mm (1.5 in.) for the bridge deck and
precast/prestressed concrete bulb-tee girders and a reinforced approach slab and of 50 mm (2 in.) for the NJ barrier; and
cast-in-place concrete deck. The approach slab of the bridge • Shrinkage and thermal crack width limit of 0.513 mm
measures 5.26 m (17 ft). The total surface area of the bridge is (0.020 in.).7
1917 m2 (20,634 ft2). The reinforced concrete bridge deck and To meet minimum serviceability and flexural strength
approach slabs have a depth of 200 mm (8 in.) and 300 mm requirements, the bridge deck was reinforced with two layers
(12 in.), respectively, and are reinforced with GFRP bars, as (top and bottom) of 16 mm (No. 5) GFRP bars spaced 100 mm
shown in Fig 3. The design criteria for the bridge per (4 in.) apart as the main reinforcement. The top and bottom
AASHTO LRFD7 and vehicular live load as per the MOT distribution bars were 16 mm GFRP bars spaced at 125 mm
Highway Design Manual (HDM)11 included: (5 in.) on-center. For the approach slab, which is a grade-
• Truck loading supported slab, two layers of 22 mm (No. 7) GFRP main
◦ Front axle with two wheels at 40 kN (9000 lb) and other reinforcement spaced at 100 mm and 19 mm (No. 6) GFRP
distribution reinforcement spaced at 125 mm on-center were
axles with two wheels at 130 kN (29,225 lb), and
◦ Distance from front axle to central axle of 4300 mm provided. Concrete minimum temperature and shrinkage
reinforcement checks were satisfied. A bridge barrier with a
(170 in.) and distance from central axle to rear axle
from 4300 to 9000 mm (354 in.); height of 1.1 m (3.6 ft) was also designed using GFRP bars.
• Lane loading The 13 mm (No. 4) GFRP main reinforcement spaced at 125 mm
◦ Uniformly distributed load of 20 kN/lane/m (1370 lb/ and 13 mm horizontal reinforcement at a spacing of 150 mm
were sufficient to resist the applied loads. GFRP bars were not
lane/ft), and
◦ Edge load of 150 kN (11,240 lb)/lane for moment and used in the NJ barriers due to time constraints and
procurement delays.
220 kN (49,460 lb)/lane for shear;

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Durability design standard.7 The harsh to developing wider cracks over time,
The SPARK bridge was originally environmental conditions in the region which can lead to corrosion of steel.
designed with ECR to achieve a 75-year made the use of ECR unfavorable The frequent occurrence of sandstorms
service life, as per the AASHTO bridge because deck slabs are more susceptible and high salt-contaminated water in the
areas around the bridge would expose
the concrete structure to high amounts
Table 1: of chlorides and sulfates, which can
ECR and GFRP option comparison penetrate concrete and reach areas of
Reinforcing bars the steel where the epoxy coating has
been scratched during handling and
Applications ECR*, tonne GFRP†, tonne Variance, tonne Savings, %
installation. Because concentrated
Bridge deck slab 90.0 30.0 60.0 67
corrosion may occur in such areas,
Approach slab 20.0 7.0 12.9 64 GFRP bars were used in several
Total 110.0 37.0 72.9 66 components of the bridge to eliminate
Concrete volume, m3 corrosion-related maintenance costs and
ensure a service life of over 100 years
Bridge deck slab 370.0 335.0 35.0 10
for the bridge deck.
Approach slab 80.0 75.0 5.0 6
Total 450.0 410.0 40.0 9 Initial Cost Comparison
*
ECR option concrete depth is 300 mm for the approach slab and 220 mm for the bridge deck In terms of total direct costs at the
†
GFRP option concrete depth is 300 mm (12 in.) for the approach slab and 200 mm (7.9 in.) for the site, the GFRP bar option offered initial
bridge deck cost savings of about 2% compared
Note: 1 tonne = 1.1 ton; 1 m3 = 1.3 yd3 with the ECR option. GFRP bars
allowed reductions in concrete cover
and a lower concrete grade, resulting in
a total reduction of 40 m3 (52 yd3) in
the quantity of concrete (see Table 1).
While these savings were modest,
additional indirect cost savings
associated with the installation of GFRP
bars included reduced staffing
requirements and reduced rental costs
required for renting lifting cranes. A
similar study conducted for another
Saudi Aramco project with GFRP bars,
the Jazan Flood Mitigation Channel,
(a) showed high initial cost savings of
over 21%.2

Project Life Cycle

A life-cycle analysis for this project
was performed by SAPL using Life-365
(Version 2.2.3), a software program
designed to estimate the service life and
life-cycle costs of reinforced concrete
structures exposed to chlorides. Several
alternatives were investigated using the
model, including traditional steel, ECR,
and stainless-steel reinforcing bars. The
Life-365 model did not include GFRP
bars at that time. In a more recent study,
a project life-cycle comparison was
(b) completed in 2019 for a bridge in
Florida, USA, using the Life-365
Fig. 4: Project life cycle: (a) service life; and (b) maintenance schedule (from Reference 12) software as shown in Fig. 4.12 The

38 JUNE 2023 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

results of this study were used as the the same service life of 75 years.7 For proactive maintenance will be included
basis for a direct cost comparison the ECR option, a cost attributed to every 10 years, based on repairs to be
between ECR and GFRP bars (Fig. 5) proactive maintenance will be required performed on 2% (39 m2 [420 ft2]) of
for the SPARK bridge project. Prices every 10 years, with milling and an the concrete surface area, as a
sourced locally in Saudi Arabia for overlay required at year 31 and re- conservative measure to repair cracks as
corrosion maintenance and patching decking at year 75. The proactive needed. Therefore, savings of just over
measures were used as the basis for maintenance cost every 10 years will be 314,462 USD are anticipated with the
the cost comparison for a period of attributed to having to repair 10% GFRP option in the 100-year period.
100 years (see Table 2). (192 m2 [2067 ft2]) of the total surface
As per AASHTO standards, it is area of the bridge at each cycle. The Conclusions
assumed that the ECR option and GFRP bar option offers a service life of The success of the construction of a
conventional steel option would have 100 years.12 A cost attributed to first bridge deck reinforced with GFRP
bars in the GCC was the result of a
coordinated effort, advocacy, and
technical cooperation among the
stakeholders in the supply chain and the
development and alignment with
international standards. This deployment
has shown that the use of GFRP bars is
a proven cost-effective and sustainable
solution for the construction of bridge
decks in the aggressive GCC
environments.

Summary
The SPARK bridge was constructed
in 2020 to support and direct vehicular
traffic to the main entrance of the
industrial city. The bridge deck and the
Fig. 5: Project life-cycle cost comparison between GFRP and ECR for 100 years approach slabs for the bridge were built

Table 2:
Project life-cycle cost comparison for 100 years based on market prices in Saudi Arabia in 2020

Year Maintenance GFRP, USD ECR, USD Savings, USD

11 Patching 3637* 18,183† 16,365
21 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
31 Mill and overlay (half of design life for ECR) 3637 51,678‡ 49,860
41 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
51 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
61 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
71 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
75 End of 75-year design life for ECR 0 150,053 §
150,053
81 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
91 Patching 3637 18,183 16,365
100 End of design life — — —
Total 32,733 347,195 314,462
*
Maintenance cost: 2% of bridge deck area every 10 years for the GFRP option
†
Maintenance cost: 10% of bridge deck area every 10 years for the ECR option13
‡
Cost for a total area of 1914 m2 (20,602 ft2)
§
Cost for demolition plus cost of building a new bridge deck (steel, concrete, labor, and mill and overlay cost), for 25 years until year 100

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | JUNE 2023 39

 bridge, a new design code for GFRP bars has been published
by ACI—ACI CODE-440.11-22,14 and it’s expected to
provide further design and cost savings for bridges to be
constructed in the future.

References
1. “Infrastructure Report Card – Bridges,” American Society of Civil
Engineers, Reston, VA, 2021, www.infrastructurereportcard.org. (last
accessed Apr. 20, 2023)
2. Villen Salan, E.A.; Rahman, M.K.; Al-Ghamdi, S.; Sakr, J.;
Al-Zahrani, M.M.; and Nanni, A., “A Monumental Flood Mitigation
Channel in Saudi Arabia,” Concrete International, V. 43, No. 10, Oct.
2021, pp. 33-41.
3. “FRP-RC Design - Part 1,” FDOT Transportation Symposium,
Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL, 2019,
pp. 28-29.
4. 12-SAMSS-027, “Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bar Materials for
Concrete Reinforcement,” Saudi Aramco, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, 2017,
8 pp.
5. SAES-Q-001, “Criteria for Design and Construction of Concrete
Structures,” Saudi Aramco, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, 2018, 22 pp.
6. SAES-Q-001, “Criteria for Design and Construction of Concrete
Structures,” Saudi Aramco, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, 2023, 22 pp.
7. “AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Guide Specifications for
GFRP-Reinforced Concrete,” second edition, American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 2018,
121 pp.
8. ACI Committee 440, “Guide for the Design and Construction of
Structural Concrete Reinforced with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP)
Fig. 6: GFRP bar installation and concrete placement at the SPARK Bars (ACI 440.1R-15),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
bridge MI, 2015, 88 pp.
9. ASTM D7957/D7957M-17, “Standard Specification for Solid
using concrete reinforced with GFRP bars in place of ECR Round Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars for Concrete Reinforcement,”
(Fig. 6). The nonmetallic reinforcement is expected to reduce ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2017, 5 pp.
maintenance costs associated with exposure to the harsh 10. “SPARK Design Package,” Saudi Arabian Parsons Ltd., Saudi
environment existing at the bridge location and increase the Arabia, 2019.
service life of the bridge by more than 100 years. 11. “Highway Design Manual: Volume 3 – Structural Design
GFRP bars have proven to be an economical option when Specifications,” Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services, Riyadh,
compared to ECR in terms of initial cost, as presented by the Saudi Arabia, 2013, pp. 6-12.
results of this study. Since the construction of the SPARK 12. Cadenazzi, T.; Dotelli, G.; Rossini, M.; Nolan, S.; and Nanni, A.,
“Life-Cycle Cost and Life-Cycle Assessment Analysis at the Design
Stage of a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer-Reinforced Concrete Bridge in
Florida,” Advances in Civil Engineering Materials, V. 8, No. 2, Feb. 2019,

HUNDREDS OF Concrete pp. 128-151.

13. Life Cycle Analysis and Assessment in Civil Engineering: Towards

Standards, Courses, an Integrated Vision: Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium

on Life-Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE 2018), 28-31 October 2018,

and Recommended
Ghent, Belgium, R. Caspeele, L. Taerwe, and D. Frangopol, eds., CRC
Press, London, UK, 2018, 604 pp.
14. ACI Committee 440, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
Practices Available Concrete Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP)
Bars—Code and Commentary (ACI CODE-440.11-22),” American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2023, 260 pp.

Selected for reader interest by the editors.

40 JUNE 2023 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 ACI member Eid H. Bader joined IKK deployment of new technologies, sustainability, failure analysis,
Mateenbar in 2019 as a Sales Engineering standards development, and materials selection. He is a member
Manager to lead the joint venture expansion of ACI Committee 440, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement;
efforts in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. and ASTM International Committees D30, Composite Materials,
He previously worked for Fluor Canada and F42, Additive Manufacturing Technologies. He received
Ltd. as an Associate Design Engineering his master’s degree in polymer science from The University of
Specialist supporting gas production Akron, Akron, OH, USA, and is a licensed professional engineer
projects in Alberta, Canada. Bader also in Canada.
worked for Ontario Power Generation, a
nuclear generation power plant that operates nuclear stations in Sami A. Al-Abduljabbar is a Civil
Toronto, ON, Canada. He received his BSc in civil engineering from Engineering Materials Specialist for the
the Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, with a specialty Consulting Services Department, Civil &
in structural stream. He received his MBA from the University of Structural Engineering Division at Saudi
Warwick, Coventry, UK. He is a member of the Canadian Society for Aramco. He is the standard committee
Civil Engineering (CSCE). Chair of the civil committee. He has
23 years of experience in civil
Julien M. Saade joined IKK Mateenbar engineering materials for building and
in 2017 as a Business Development construction, including the development
Manager (BDM), regional and worldwide. of Saudi Aramco standards and specifications for concrete
His previous experience in Dubai, UAE, structures; flexible pavement design; and storm-water drainage
goes back to 2015, when he worked as the systems in alignment with international codes, such as ACI,
BDM for VSL International with a focus on AASHTO, and ASCE. He received his master’s degree in civil
business development for bridge bearings/ structural engineering from KFUPM. He is a licensed professional
expansion joints and post-tensioned engineer by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering
bars in the Middle East Region. He also and Surveying.
worked for Eiffage-Ævia, Paris, France, as a
Technical Sales Engineer (Bearings and Expansion Joints). In 2012, Muhammad S. Hameed is a Senior
he received his civil engineering degree from École Polytechnique Structural Engineer at Saudi Arabian
Universitaire de l’Université Clermont, Aubière France. He received Parsons Ltd. (SAPL) and has over
his PhD from the LGCgE, North of France, in collaboration with 20 years of experience in structural
Structure & Rehabilitation in Paris, France. His thesis work led to the engineering design, review, and
development of two new methods for the repair of structures with technical support to construction
FRP materials. teams. He has vast experience in the
design of various structures, especially
ACI member Muhammad K. Rahman different types of bridges, in accordance
is a Researcher and faculty member at with national and international code
the Interdisciplinary Research Center for requirements. He has been involved as the main designer on
Construction and Building Materials at King behalf of SAPL for the use of GFRP bars in bridge decks adopted
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for the SPARK project. He received his BSc in civil engineering
(KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and is Vice and his master’s degree in structural engineering.
President of the ACI Saudi Arabian Eastern
Province Chapter. He received his PhD in Zaid N. El Majali is a Senior Project
structural engineering and has conducted Manager and Contractor Representative
several major Saudi Aramco and other client-funded research on the SPARK project working for
projects as principal investigator. His current research focus is on Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company
nonmetallic reinforcement in concrete. (SAJCO) for the last 10 years. He has
21 years of extensive experience in the
ACI member Oscar D. Salazar Vidal is an execution of infrastructure projects,
Engineering Consultant in Saudi Aramco including 04-ARAMCO Projects. He
Consulting Services Department, Non- specializes in the execution of projects
Metallic Engineering Division. He has 30 with the Aramco Quality and Safety Standard, as well as cost-
years of experience in nonmetallic materials effectiveness under budgetary controls. He is involved in project
and coatings for building and construction management and controls with a focus on effective planning and
and oil and gas applications, covering a cost monitoring. He received his BSc in civil engineering and has
broad spectrum of activities, including a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.

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