This is a common occurrence in many states. We can look at the plans and easily see where HydroDemolition would be a better fit than a pneumatic hammer/chipping hammer.

Sometimes it's the product that is required or the deadline that helps contractors to consider hydro. For example, specs that could drive the decision include: weight restrictions on the structure, a tight time window, an underwater emergency repair, no damage to the rebar, no damage to the beams, lower noise needed, or the longevity of the repair is desired.

Yes. ATI has executed concrete specialty scopes on P3-delivered highway, bridge, and managed lanes projects across the U.S. On a P3 project the DOT typically oversees and regulates the work, but a private concessionaire or design-build-finance-operate joint venture holds the contract and selects the trades. ATI works under that concessionaire or DB JV, not the DOT, while still meeting full DOT design and construction standards. Our compliance, safety documentation, and execution model fit both delivery structures. For examples of a P3 project, see this award-winning example:

ATI's robotic hydrodemolition systems are calibrated to remove concrete to a required profile depth while leaving the rebar mat undamaged and clean.

Removing concrete with hydrodemolition leaves surface profile ready for overlay installation without the rebar damage. *HydroDemolition will not cut steel unless an abrasive is added to the machine. ATI does not add abrasives. Instead, we utilize only clean, potable water in our pumps.

Because the results speak for themselves — and the standards back it up.

The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) defines the Concrete Surface Profile (CSP) scale — a rating from 1 to 10 that measures how rough and ready a surface is for repair bonding. To achieve a CSP of 6 to 10, hydrodemolition isn't just preferred — it's required. No jackhammer, chipping hammer, or mechanical method can get you there. The higher the CSP, the stronger the bond. The stronger the bond, the longer the repair lasts. That's why engineers spec it.

Beyond surface profile, hydrodemolition is the only method that removes deteriorated concrete without transmitting damaging vibration into the structure. Jackhammers and chipping hammers beat the concrete — and everything around it. Beams, surrounding substrate, and embedded rebar absorb that impact. Microcracks form. Rebar gets nicked. The damage you don't see today becomes the repair you didn't budget for tomorrow.

Hydrodemolition removes only what needs to go. The rebar stays clean and undisturbed. The surrounding substrate stays intact. The structure stays stable. And the surface left behind is ready for overlay — no second step, no rework, no surprises.

The International Concrete Repair Institute sets the standard for concrete surface preparation — and hydrodemolition is it. ICRI recognizes hydrodemolition as the method that achieves the highest surface profile rating (CSP 10), protects rebar, and eliminates the microcracks that mechanical methods leave behind.

• ICRI 310.2R-2013 — Concrete Surface Preparation: https://store.icri.org/category/surface-preparation
• ICRI 310.3R-2014 — Hydrodemolition Methods: https://www.icri.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CRBSeptOct14_Winkler.pdf

Because on a P3 project, the concessionaire doesn't just build the road — they own it, operate it, and maintain it for decades. That changes everything about how you think about repairs.

A chipping hammer gets the concrete off. Hydrodemolition gets the concrete off the right way. When you're responsible for the long-term performance of a structure, the difference between a CSP 3 and a CSP 10 isn't a spec detail–it’s huge.  If you want the structure to last longer, choose hydrodemolition for the concrete removal.

Hydrodemolition also protects the structure you'll be operating for the next decades to come. No vibration damage to surrounding substrate. No microcracks in beams you'll have to address later. No nicked rebar that quietly corrodes under the next overlay. Private capital demands long-term performance — and once a P3 concessionaire sees what hydrodemolition delivers, they want it on every project.

For the same reason a P3 concessionaire prefers it — they own the structure and they need it to last.

State DOTs are responsible for the long-term performance of the infrastructure they build and maintain. When a bridge deck repair fails early, the DOT owns that problem — the budget hit, the lane closures, the public scrutiny. Including hydrodemolition as an option gives contractors and engineers a path to do it right.

And once contractors see what it delivers — the surface profile, the intact rebar, the undamaged substrate — it stops being just an option and starts being the obvious choice. A properly prepared surface bonds stronger, lasts longer, and costs less over the life of the structure.

It's not just a construction decision. It's an asset management decision.