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DURHAM, NH -- The civil engineering department at the University of New Hampshire was recognized recently for one-of-a-kind project that will affect the future of bridges across the state: UNH students and professors worked with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) on an award-winning concrete bridge that spans the Newfound River in Bristol, New Hampshire.
The only bridge in New England constructed with high-performance concrete, the project won the 1998 Heavy Construction Award from the New England Chapter of the American Concrete Institute and the New England Ready-Mixed Concrete Association.
Most bridges in the Granite State are constructed of steel beams and concrete decks overlaid with asphalt paving. In the Bristol bridge, everything is made of high-performance concrete. "We expect a 75-year life span for this bridge, instead of the more typical 30 or 35 years," says Chris Waszczuk, project engineer with the NHDOT.
This is good news for New Hampshire bridges, since more than a third of these structures are rated as substandard. High-performance concrete can better withstand deterioration caused by climate changes, de-icing chemicals, and stresses due to heavy traffic. High-performance concrete also allows for longer span lengths and fewer girders, which reduce building costs. Thanks to UNH-NHDOT efforts, bridges across the state stand a better chance as they are repaired and updated.
The good experience in Bristol has been encouraging, according to Ray Cook, professor of civil engineering and project advisor. "The NHDOT is being innovative," he says. "They're taking what we've learned in Bristol and putting it to work." A second UNH-DOT high-performance concrete bridge is currently being planned, also in Bristol.
Meanwhile, UNH is continuing to monitor the first Bristol bridge, providing important data to NHDOT about about the long-term performance of the innovative concrete.
Built as part of a federal program to test high-performance concrete around the country, the bridge building program began at UNH about five years ago, intiated by Charlie Goodspeed, associate professor of civil engineering, and Jim Moore of DOT.
Students who have worked on the bridge have helped build their own careers in the process. Cheryl Wilson and Todd Fratzel, two UNH graduates who stayed at the university to pursue master's work on the bridge, are now employees at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. a civil engineering firm that specializes in bridge construction and rehabilitation with offices in Bedford, New Hampshire.
PHOTO CAPTION: Cheryl Wilson, a recent UNH graduate, sets up the data logger that collects info about the performance of the Bristol bridge, including beam strain and temperature, and then sends it to UNH. Data collection was interrupted last spring due to vanadalism, but the university is currently pursuing efforts to restart the monitoring process. (Photo: Ray Cook)