As you drive over one of the nearly 600 bridges in Sedgwick County, you’ll notice that most of them are concrete bridges. Through a project at the University of Kansas, that might change one day. William Collins, an associate professor in the department of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering at the University of Kansas recently won an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction to study innovative steel bridge designs. Such designs could lead to bridges that cost less across their lifespan than bridges in use today. “Steel is more expensive than concrete but if we can come up with a solution that doesn’t need to be replaced… this option could be more cost effective and save money in the long term, even if it’s more money up front,” Collins said.
Source: Wichita Eagle.
