The article considers using a single-layer reinforced ten-centimeter layer of concrete on stress cement instead of the traditional multilayer construction of waterproofing bridges. The proposed design will ensure the water tightness of the bridge deck due to the self-stress in the concrete on the stressing cement, the value of which is proportional to the deformations of concrete and reinforcement. Concrete deformations are uneven over the layer height, and the resulting stress in concrete depends on the reinforcement coefficient. Experiments were carried out to determine the deformations of concrete and the magnitude of self-stress, which provides the waterproofing properties of a bridge deck made of concrete on stress cement. The study of the self-tension process, identifying those factors on which its value depends, is necessary for a correct understanding of the physics of the self-tension process. In addition, it is necessary to check the applicability of various proposed empirical dependences for concrete on stress cement of the composition under consideration.