USU engineers to study bridges west of Mississippi

LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- Utah engineers will study highway bridges west of the Mississippi River for structural problems.

The researchers at Utah State University were hired by Rutgers University, the lead institution picked by the Federal Highway Administration to study the condition and deterioration of 400 bridges nationwide.

This follows the deadly collapse last August of a Minneapolis highway bridge.

Utah State was awarded $5 million for its services for five years.

USU professor Marvin Halling says researchers will look for potential collapse problems using accelerometers to measure traffic vibrations, the effects of climate and the stress on bridges during earthquakes.

Halling says Utah has to be vigilant because a harsh climate with freeze and thaw cycles and deicing takes a toll on bridges.

Virginia researchers will monitor and study bridges east of the Mississippi River.

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Information from: Standard-Examiner

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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