Corrosion-Free Renewal: V‑ROD Bars Revamp La Chancelière Parking Garage
The La Chancelière underground parking garage in Quebec City was built in the 1970s. After decades of exposure to deicing salts and moisture, its two-way flat slabs suffered severe steel reinforcement corrosion, prompting a full replacement of 3,160 m² of slab area while preserving columns and perimeter walls. In 2013, the City of Quebec opted for V‑ROD Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars over steel following a comparative cost analysis per CAN/CSA S806-12.
This world-first application deployed 2,500 V‑ROD bars as main tension reinforcement. Slab panels were instrumented with fiber-optic sensors on V‑ROD bars to monitor strain under real traffic loads. Over 3.5 years, monitoring confirmed exceptional crack control, watertight performance, and zero corrosion. Lightweight and non-conductive, V‑ROD bars simplified placement in underground spaces. Composite reinforcement extends service life to a projected 100 years, reduces lifecycle maintenance costs by 30 %, and establishes a benchmark for durable, low-maintenance parking rehabilitation.