2008 Concrete Bridge Conference—HPC: Safe, Affordable, and Efficient

The 2008 Concrete Bridge Conference, held May 4-7, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in St. Louis, Mo., featured a great technical program of more than 120 presentations in 22 technical sessions and an exciting exhibition of consultants, material and service suppliers, and associations. The kickoff event was a tour of bridge construction sites described below. A special session devoted to lightweight concrete use in bridge construction was held Wednesday morning.

The fourth CBC conference was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, the National Concrete Bridge Council, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and the American Concrete Institute and was organized by the Portland Cement Association. It was held in conjunction with the Post-Tensioning Institute’s Annual Conference. The two conferences had separate technical programs but joint exhibition and social functions. Nearly 400 people including engineers from FHWA, state DOTs, consultants and contractors, attended the two conferences.

The conference proceedings of 116 peer reviewed technical papers is contained on a searchable CD which is available at the PCA Bookstore. More information and purchase.

Subscribe to the Electronic Version of HPC Bridge Views

HPC Bridge Views, published by National Concrete Bridge Council (NCBC), is now only in electronic format, distributed via e-mail. A dedicated Web site houses the e-newsletters. For the readers' convenience, previous issues of HPC Bridge Views are also posted on this new Web site.

You must sign up for the electronic version of HPC Bridge Views even if you were a past subscriber. Sign up now.

Pre-Conference Bridge Tour

On Sunday afternoon prior to the Concrete Bridge Conference, about 40 people attended a tour of local I-64 bridge construction which was arranged by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Four precast, prestressed concrete I-girder bridges—each in a different stage of construction— were visited and MODOT engineers described the construction and answered many questions from the attendees. Althogether 10 miles of interstate 64 will be closed down and much of the pavement and most of the bridges are being replaced.

The first bridge visited was at Kingshighway Boulevard and was almost complete. However, the attendees were able to get a good look at the retaining wall construction. The contractor for the bridge at Brentwood Boulevard had erected the “I” beams and stay in place forms. The “I” girders, stay in place forms, and deck reinforcement were already in place for the bridge at McKnight Road. The retaining wall, backfill, and foundations were under construction for the bridge at Clayton Road. View tour photos.

Special Session at CBC on Lightweight Concrete

Also, six additional papers were presented on lightweight concrete in the regular conference sessions. The papers on lightweight concrete are included on the conference CD.

2008 Concrete Bridge Award Winners Announced

Nine winners have been named in Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Eleventh Biennial Bridge Awards Competition. The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges. Roads and Bridges magazine was a co-sponsor of this year’s competition.

The 2008 program attracted 42 entries from Canada and the United States, covering a variety of structure types and construction methods. All structures were completed between June 2006 and March 2008. More on the bridge awards.

Bridge Design Seminar for Professors Planned for Next Month

The 10th annual Bridge Professors' Seminar is scheduled for August 7-8, 2008 at PCA in Skokie, Ill. This seminar focuses on the latest AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications with particular emphasis on design of concrete structures. Background of the provisions is discussed, and their application is illustrated through design examples. Local cement and concrete industry groups provide funding for travel and hotel expenses. The purpose of this seminar is to assist university professors so that they can introduce a new university course, or update an existing one, in concrete bridge design. More on the professor's seminar.

PCI National Bridge Conference

Jointly sponsored with the FHWA and held in conjuction with the annual PCI Convention and Exhibition, the PCI National Bridge Conference will take place October 4-7, 2008, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. More on the conference.

Program Manager, Transportation Structures

PCA is seeking a talented individual to manage our Transportation Structures program. This is a national high-profile position for a highly motivated structural engineer with experience in analysis and design of concrete bridges. The Program Manager provides expert advice on concrete bridges and other transportation structures to engineers at Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), state DOTs, railroads, and at consulting firms. More.