Earthquake Software Refines ODOT Bridge Inspection Process
State bridge inspectors will be able to provide a faster, more targeted response in ensuring public safety the next time an earthquake rolls across Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is now implementing the use of ShakeCast, a program created by the U.S. Geological Survey. ShakeCast is in the final stage of a two-year, two-phase, nearly $650,000 contract with Infrastructure Engineers Inc. of Edmond to assist the department in developing an earthquake response protocol. Formal...
Keeping America’s Bridges Safe and Reliable
Each day, thousands of qualified bridge inspectors evaluate the safety and condition of the nation’s bridges. Bridges are inspected on a routine basis, and the results are reported to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). If a bridge is deemed unsafe, immediate action is taken – which could include immediate repairs, weight restrictions or outright closure. While state departments of transportation are on the front lines conducting the inspections, FHWA provides the standards and ove...
What Has Happened with U.S. Bridges in the 10 Years Since the Minneapolis I-35W Bridge Collapse?
(WASHINGTON)— August 1 marks the 10th anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The bridge was classified as “structurally deficient” and was undergoing repair at the time. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has looked at federal government data to see what progress has been made in repairing the nation’s bridges in the decade since the collapse. States have devoted significant resources to bridge work, ARTBA says. The value of bridge const...
Acrow Provides Temporary Detour Structure for Use During Bridge Replacement in Iowa
(Parsippany, New Jersey) – Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, has announced that it designed and provided a temporary bridge for use as a detour during the replacement of an obsolete structure on Interstate 34 in Chariton, Iowa. Interstate 34 is an east-west highway that runs from the western outskirts of Chicago to Granby, Colorado. In Iowa, the route is a major arterial surface road across the southern part of the state. The existing structure h...
Back to the Nest: Falcons Return to Michigan Bridges
Peregrine falcons have returned to the Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock again this year – the same nesting spot, but this year with a choice between new and familiar nests. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) installed two nest boxes at the Lift Bridge in 2012 -- one each on the north and south bridge towers. A pair of falcons discovered the nesting site the next spring and has raised a total of 12 chicks there. But, in recent years, the Michigan Department o...
Oldcastle Precast Bridge Projects Win Design Excellence Awards
REHOBOTH, Mass. (JUNE 2017) – Oldcastle Precast’s Skilton Road Bridge Rehabilitation and Interstate-10 Tex Wash Bridge Emergency Replacement Projects were recipients of Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s (PCI) 2016 Design Excellence Awards. During the 54th annual PCI Design Award Program, twenty-six awards were presented to projects across North America, including best-in-class awards for both transportation structures and buildings, as well as special awards for industry advancement, s...
Video: Earthquake Safety: Building the World’s First “Flexible” Bridge
Seattle’s newest bridge is built to do much more than withstand an earthquake – it’s built with columns designed to move with the ground and flex back into their original vertical shape after a strong quake. This new bridge is designed to remain open immediately after a powerful earthquake, when emergency response is critical. The Washington State Department of Transportation partnered with the University of Nevada’s Center for Advanced Technology in Bridges and Infrastructure in developing the...
A Few Months Before Its Official Opening, Tappan Zee Bridge Is Drivable
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Several months remain before it officially opens to long-expectant commuters, but it is now possible to drive across the entire three-mile length of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, a critical crossing in the suburbs of New York City. Like beavers steadily piling branches and mud into a dam, hundreds of workers have cobbled together enough of the outward-sloping towers, the radiating cables, the steel framework and the concrete-paneled roadway of the first of twin bridges so that a...
Video: MDOT Bridges: Repair vs. Replace
Whether it’s an interstate over the Mississippi River or a local highway over a small creek, MDOT maintains over 5,000 bridges across the state. Learn more about how bridges are prioritized for repair or replacement, and how much each method costs to extend the life of a bridge.
136.8-foot Super-Girders Used to Replace Washington’s Miles Creston Bridge
LINCOLN COUNTY, Wash. - As part of the Lincoln County Bridge Replacement Program, Oldcastle Precast of Spokane, Washington fabricated 136.8-foot-long prestressed concrete super-girders for the new Miles Creston Bridge in Lincoln County, Washington. The term “super-girder” resulted from the efficient shape of this new bridge girder family, which utilizes high strength concrete and .6” diameter prestress strand to maximize span length and minimize the number of girders. Precast, prestressed...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
