The study concluded the bridges were performing well, with the exception of metropolitan Detroit, where the amount and chemical composition of road salt may be causing steel's poor performance. Some don't like the steel's brown color. Another concern is staining. After the I-beams are in place, but before the concrete deck is installed, concrete piers sometimes stain when it rains. This is because weathering steel develops a protective coating against corrosion each time it gets wet.
Lead paint is another concern.
Lead-paint abatement sometimes costs more than building a new bridge. Many are not aware that non-lead coatings perform well. AISI, FHWA, and the U.S. Navy won the Civil Engineering Research Foundation 1997 Pankow Innovative Applications Award for research on high-performance steel for bridges. New steel being developed has strengths of up to 100,000 psi, compared to the typical 50,000 psi. McLean, Va. FHWA is the first in the nation and possibly in the world to test a full-size bridge of this type in its laboratory.