AGA Advances Bridge Market Initiatives

Progress Achieved and the Road Ahead

The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) is proud to reflect on a year of meaningful progress in the bridge market in 2025. Guided by the Market Development and Technical Services Committees, AGA delivered impactful new resources and strengthened key industry partnerships—reinforcing hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel as a preferred solution for bridge projects. These efforts are especially critical as bridge construction funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is expected to peak between 2026 and 2028.

In 2025, AGA advanced two major publications addressing evolving bridge market needs. First, the Coatings Performance Subcommittee of the Technical Services Committee (TSC), in collaboration with AGA Senior Technical Coordinator Brandon Jones, developed the Hybrid Zinc Coatings guide. This resource supports specifiers in effectively combining HDG and thermal-spray zinc (TSZ) on bridge projects. While the complementary use of HDG and TSZ is not new, this is the first publication to formally establish the Hybrid Zinc Coatings framework—highlighting benefits, best practices, and real-world case studies. The guide is currently under TSC review and is expected to be completed by the end of January.

A second milestone was the development of the Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel Bridge Design Guide. This comprehensive reference brings together best practices, design considerations, performance expectations, and maintenance strategies for galvanized steel bridges. Designed to serve engineers, owners, fabricators, and detailers, the guide is poised to become a trusted, go-to resource for HDG bridge applications. Developed through an intensive, all-hands-on-deck collaboration in less than one year, the guide is now in final internal review and will be submitted to the TSC by mid-January. At the request of the Executive Committee, the TSC has been asked to prioritize its review, with the goal of publication by the end of January.

Beyond these new resources, collaboration remains a cornerstone of AGA’s mission. In the bridge market, AGA continues to work closely with partners at the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) and the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) to align messaging, engage key stakeholders, and strengthen steel—and by extension, hot-dip galvanizing (HDG)—as a preferred bridge solution.

Note: NSBA is a division of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and SSSBA operates via the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)

In 2024, some AGA members expressed concern that NSBA appeared to more strongly promote uncoated weathering steel (UWS) for bridge design. Through direct discussions with NSBA, AGA learned that this emphasis was largely driven by fabricator input and highlighted underlying communication gaps between galvanizers and fabricators. Since then, AGA has actively collaborated with NSBA to ensure HDG is fully represented in bridge messaging and to address these relationship challenges. As a key next step, AGA and NSBA will co-host a stakeholder meeting on January 27, bringing together bridge fabricators and galvanizers to discuss shared challenges, exchange technical updates, and support relationship rebuilding.

Building on this momentum, AGA will host an industry alignment meeting on February 5 with NSBA and SSSBA. The focus will be on unifying messaging around each organization’s role, the use of steel in bridges, and the appropriate application of corrosion protection systems. This strategic effort aims to reduce confusion among specifiers, clarify the use of steel in both short- and long-span bridges, and establish a clear, practical matrix for selecting corrosion protection systems based on bridge conditions. Once finalized, all three organizations plan to jointly promote and educate specifiers on this framework throughout 2026 and 2027.

Collaboration will also take center stage at AGA’s Annual Conference in April. During the Tuesday, April 21 steel bridge session, Jeff Carlson of NSBA will present Bridging the Divide: Understanding Fabricator Perceptions of HDG Steel, followed by Gary Wisch of DeLong’s Inc. with Short Success vs. Long Limits: Hot-Dip Galvanizing in Bridge Design. Together, these presentations will candidly address challenges while highlighting opportunities and advantages for HDG in bridge applications.

AGA will continue to lead in the bridge market by delivering trusted resources, technical expertise, advocacy, and education. Through strong partnerships and active engagement, we are elevating the role of galvanized steel as a proven, durable, and sustainable bridge solution—and positioning hot-dip galvanizing for continued growth in the years ahead.