Part one of our road trip adventures began in western North America, with part two continuing on to the Midwest, and part three down south.

We now finish our travels in the Northeastern part of North America, beginning in Ohio. The iconic Cleveland Metroparks RainForest Dome underwent a replacement in 2020 and hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) provided the longevity and low maintenance for the Bornean orangutans to call home. While exploring the rest of state, be sure to admire the plethora of galvanized bridges. Many Ohio counties and cities including Lewisburg, Independence/Cleveland, Toledo, and Dayton utilize hot-dip galvanized steel in their bridge designs. In Davis, West Virginia, the Freeland Boardwalk Hiking Trail is a six-foot wide boardwalk that sits just a few feet above the wetlands. Typically, a rural environment like Canaan Valley is not as concerned with corrosion. However, the combination of the wetlands, wide open weather, and lots of foot traffic for years to come, required the ultimate in terms of protection and durability, which hot-dip galvanized steel provided. The Navy Security Fence and Gates in Virginia is also protected with a hot-dip galvanized coating system as the fence system and gates will be submerged, there will not be easy access to maintain the structures.

Maryland has a variety of galvanized steel projects, most notably the Mr. Trash Wheel Family. The overall purpose of the wheels is to clean up the harbor, which goes hand-in-hand with sustainability. Cleaning trash from the water is a dirty job, but the affordable, durable, maintenance-free longevity, and sustainable galvanized coating protecting Captain Trash Wheel and his brethren are up to the task. Additionally, Seacrets Jamaica USA and Jolly Roger Giant Wheel At The Pier in Ocean City both use hot-dip galvanizing because of its longevity and maintenance-free aspects. Continuing to look at the use of galvanized steel, we travel to Altoona, Pennsylvania where the "Circle of Hope" sculpture and public work of art is placed in Tuckahoe Park. The artist decided on hot-dip galvanizing as the best choice for its corrosion resistance and long-term durability in an outdoor setting, together with the availability of a hot-dip galvanizing plant nearby made the decision easy. While in Philadelphia, be sure to visit the Zoo’s Big Cat Crossing to catch a glimpse of a tiger walking over you on a galvanized steel walkway.

In Ocean City, New Jersey, the High Seas Log Flume is vulnerable to the salt air, harsh weather all year around, and the ride uses chlorine water that is corrosive to carbon steel. Hot-dip galvanizing was utilized again during the refurbishment of this timeless amusement ride in 2018. The original riders from the 1970’s enjoyed this ride thanks to hot-dip galvanized steel, and today they get to share that experience with their grandchildren thanks again to the rugged durability of galvanized steel. North American Aggregates also employ hot-dip galvanized steel on their sand mining and crushing equipment. New York City’s beautifully designed Moynihan Train Hall is an amazing new addition to the famously existing Penn Station-Farley Complex. The advantages of not having to shut down a busy train station for future cosmetic repairs made hot-dip galvanizing not just the smart choice, but the only choice. The Mario M. Cuomo Bridge replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge and enlisted the help of thousands of tons of hot-dip galvanized steel rebar to protect the steel embedded in the concrete.

Steel projects in Boston have to deal with a fairly corrosive atmosphere due to the large city and its proximity to the salty ocean air. Many of these projects are hot-dip galvanized to protect against this corrosion. A few notable galvanized projects in Boston include the balconies at Pier 4 Residences, the Hope's steel windows at 401 Park Building and Time Out Market Boston, and the rooftop structures at 10 Fan Pier Boulevard. Two of these projects utilize a duplex coating of paint or powder coating over hot-dip galvanized steel to provide longer lasting corrosion protection than HDG can alone. The 2 Lowell Bridges by The Riverwalk also incorporated hot-dip galvanized steel by having both bridges' major components hot-dip galvanized post-assembly and designed to match the dimensions of the galvanizer's kettle.

The rest of the states within New England hold an interesting array of galvanized projects. Hot-dip galvanized steel provides superior corrosion protection to all sorts of steel structures, from the "Faces of the Rainforest" exhibit at The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, to the blue duplexed sidewalk rails at Steelpointe Seaport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Zip Rider at Wildcat Mountain Resort in New Hampshire uses 12.5 tons of hot-dip galvanized structural steel for safety, corrosion protection, low-maintenance, and its performance in extreme weather environments. Located in Portsmouth, the Living Bridge is an interdisciplinary smart infrastructure research project, converting the Memorial Bridge into a demonstration "smart bridge." Requiring protection from the highly corrosive marine environment, HDG steel was the ideal choice to provide corrosion protection for the project. The state of Maine is no stranger to hot-dip galvanizing, most bridges in the state have been galvanized since 1998 because of the low cost, maintenance free nature, and extended life-cycle. A few galvanized bridges in Maine include the Augusta Memorial Bridge, Eastern Trail Bridge, Maine Pedestrian Bridge, and the Westbrook Riverfront.

In out database and project gallery, Quebec, Canada has more galvanized projects than any other province. Quebec City is famous (or infamous) for its winter weather, combining the cold of the far north and the salty humidity from the giant Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Hot-dip galvanizing became the obvious choice for the Passerelles Beauport Pedestrian Bridges & Walkway for its amazing durability, surprisingly low cost, recyclability, and natural zinc, making it ideal for just such a project. The New Champlain Bridge in Montreal used 15,000 tons of hot-dip galvanized steel. All structural steel for the bridge that could physically fit into the local kettles was hot-dip galvanized, along with all railings, anchors, signage and wind braces. Many other high profile projects throughout Quebec incorporate galvanized steel into their designs, including the Lac des Fees (Fairy Lake) Walkway, the Montreal International Airport Parking Structure, Valcartier Eldorado Water Slides, 735-kV Chamouchouane–Bout-de-l’Île Transmission Line, and the SRB Express Bus Stations.

In Saint John, New Brunswick, two industrial projects, Canaport and Irving Pulp and Paper Plant, stand as great examples of the superior corrosion protection galvanized steel provides in highly industrial environments. Lastly, finish the trip at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Maritime Link Project. Strong, long-lasting, sustainable, low-cost, and reliable hot-dip galvanizing is playing a big role in protecting the assets of this important sustainable energy project. Additionally, galvanized steel has excellent conductivity which is an important safety factor because it drains away the electric charge that can build in the airspace around the ultra-high voltage equipment.

We hope these articles help you notice the various hot-dip galvanized facilities and structures you encounter on summer road trips. Share your summer road trip pictures of galvanized projects with us by posting them to our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts, tagging the AGA in your pictures, or using the hashtag #GalvanizeTour. Have fun out there this summer!