FHWA deploys bridge-inspecting robots

Amanda Bayhi - May 17, 2013

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is deploying a robot to help inspect the safety and structure of concrete bridge decks. The robotic tool, created in partnership with Rutgers University as part of the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) ...

Missouri honors Stan Musial with new bridge name

Amanda Bayhi - May 08, 2013

Stan Musial (Photo: Bleeding Yankee Blue) Missouri’s House of Representatives have reached a compromise to end the debate with Illinois about the name of the new bridge over the Mississippi River--and Stan the Man is part of the solution. According to ...

The Stan Span

John Latta - May 03, 2013

Stan Musial (Photo: Bleeding Yankee Blue) Will Stan the Man become Stan the Bridge? Illinois and Missouri are disagreeing over what to call a new bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, the region's first span across the river in ...

A Private Bridge Funding Success Story

John Latta - Apr 29, 2013

Apparently it can be done. It is possible for states to find and work with private partners for transportation infrastructure projects. Just look at this case from Indiana. Governing magazine noted that Indiana stated trying to find private partners for part of ...

In the Persian Gulf: It’s art. It’s a bridge.

John Latta - Apr 10, 2013

Photo: Hufton + Crow There is this bridge. And it is something to see. The Sheikh Zayed Bridge joins Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, and it is an excellent example of the seamless ...

Kirk Landers: Editor Emeritus

Better Roads Staff - Jan 09, 2013

The bridge you are crossing is sponsored by… kirk.landers@att.net When we talk about public-private partnerships, we mostly think of tollways and tolled bridges. But in this age of tax aversion and desperate underfunding, states are exploring smaller-dollar possibilities for the concept, ...

How come we can get trucks to Mars but not under low bridges on earth?

John Latta - Sep 27, 2012

It's surprising how little oversight there is in the use of GPS devices in a moving vehicle. Maybe you see that as a good, free-market, thing, or maybe worry about where it's taking our driving future. New York Democratic Senator Chuck ...

Better Bridges

Brooke Wisdom - May 08, 2011

The Bridge as Bat Cave A sharp decline in bat numbers prompts Oregon’s Department of Transporation to build habitats into bridges. By Tina Grady Barbaccia Build a bridge, save a bat. That’s what the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has done as part of ...

Indiana fully invests highway, bridge stimulus funds

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Feb 10, 2010

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) it has fully advertised or awarded all $658 million of Indiana’s highway and bridge allocation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act has funded 1,082 transportation projects spread across all 92 ...

Mississippi DOT awards Granite Construction $22.4 million bridge demolition project

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Jan 13, 2010

WATSONVILLE, Calif.--Granite Construction Company has been awarded a $22.4 million contract by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the demolition of the U.S. 82 Greenville Bridge located approximately 100 miles northwest of Jackson, Mississippi. The scope of the project includes ...

Bridge Managers Say Stimulus Has Provided a Boost But Funding Remains Insufficient

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Nov 04, 2009

Despite the high number of sub-standard bridges throughout the nation, bridge engineers remain optimistic they will be able to reduce number of deficient bridges TUSCALOOSA, Ala., November 4, 2009—Although a shockingly high number of bridges in the United States remain sub-standard, ...