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V O L . X X I N O. X I I I J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 12 M artin Grimnes, founder and CEO of Harbor Technologies Inc. in Brunswick, stands beneath the Union Street Bridge that crosses over Interstate 95 in Bangor. An average of 18,000 drivers use the bridge daily, which makes the two-phase, $8.8 million replacement of the 54-year-old bridge one of the higher profile jobs among the 425 capital projects worth $455 million that the Maine Department of Transportation started last year. On an early June day, CPM Constructors' crews have nearly com- pleted work on the closed-off bridge's north lanes, getting ready to reopen them to two-way traffic when demoli- tion begins on the south lanes. A visiting delegation of the U.S. Domestic Scan Program joins Grimnes beneath the bridge — eight to 10 state transporta- tion officials and civil engineers who scramble up a sandy bank for a closer look at the hybrid composite beams built by Harbor Technologies that now support the bridge's north lanes. Aside from the lack of rust and standard green paint marking the soon-to-be-removed steel beams of the bridge's southern half, the new composite beams look, well, remarkably like steel. "e distinguishing characteristic is that it looks the same," the 67-year-old Grimnes says with a slight grin when asked what's different about his com- pany's hybrid composite beams. "e less you rock the boat, the easier it is to get access to the market. is is installed the same way as a steel I-beam, but it's lighter and easier to install and it offers better performance, lower maintenance and superior corrosion-resistance." e HCB technology — also known as the Hillman Composite Beam, named after John Hillman, a structural engineer who invented the technol- ogy in 1996 — is slowly gaining market share in the huge business sector of transportation infrastructure. Looking ahead, the trends are promising for Harbor Technologies and other Maine companies, such as Kenway Corp. in Augusta, that use composites to design and fabricate construction materials that last longer with less maintenance than conventional concrete and steel. Composites Manufacturing, the bimonthly magazine published by the American Composites Manufacturers Association, forecasts 4.9% growth in the U.S. composites market in 2015. Transportation infrastructure is one of the top three market segments, which accounted for 69% of the U.S. compos- ites market's $8.2 billion value in 2014. Demand in the U.S. composites mar- ket is expected to reach $12 billion by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.6%. Aging infrastructure figures into the projected growth, according to the magazine: "e future is bright for this market, in part, because the United States will need to invest significantly in the repair and mainte- nance of its old infrastructure." ere are 147,870 deficient bridges requiring repair. According to Federal Highway Administration estimates, the nation will have to invest $20.5 billion annu- ally to upgrade or replace deficient bridges, whereas the investment is now closer to $12.8 billion, according to Composites Manufacturing. Competing against a mature market Harbor Technologies has had its suc- cesses since its founding in 2003, most notably the 540-foot Knickerbocker Bridge in Boothbay, the longest fiber- reinforced bridge ever constructed at the time of its completion in 2011. But Grimnes knows all too well the HCB market very much depends on state departments of transportation, civil engineers and other stakeholders creating demand for composite bridge beams instead of those made of steel or concrete. Educating decision-makers is critical, he says, which is why the scan team toured the Union Street Bridge site as well as the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Kenway Corp., Advanced Infrastructure Technologies and the Maine Department of Transportation during their recent four-day visit. "With new technology, it's always a tall task," Grimnes says. "We're compet- ing in a very established industry that's used to building bridges out of concrete and steel. It's been a bit of a surprise how long the education process has been." Harbor Technologies' revenues last year totaled $1.89 million. e company has 27 employees. In the marine environment, Harbor Technologies' portfolio includes making Union Street Bridge, an $8.8 million Maine Department of Transportation bridge replacement project under construction in Bangor by CPM Constructors, features hybrid-composite beams made by Harbor Technologies Inc. of Brunswick. P H O T O / JA M E S M C C A R T H Y Building bridges Harbor Technologies challenges the supremacy of steel and concrete bridge beams B y J a m e s M c c a r t h y

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