Durability of Bridge Structures

On Thursday evening, May 23, 2013, the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Skagit River in Washington state collapsed due to impact by an oversize truck, dumping vehicles and people into the water. Fortunately, the bridge is located in a rural area and nobody was killed in the accident, but three people were rescued after their cars plunged into the frigid water of the Skagit River. According to Washington state officials, the bridge was inspected last year and was not structurally deficient, but collapsed because of apparent impact from an oversize truck. Nevertheless, the collapse of the steel truss bridge renewed appeals for greater investment in the nation’s aging infrastructure. These appeals are echoed throughout the bridge engineering community worldwide, as the condition of deteriorated bridges worsens with increasing traffic loads combined with lack of proper maintenance.

Bridge engineers from different countries shared their experience toward achieving durable bridge structures, during the 7th New York City Bridge Conference, held on August 26-27, 2013. This book contains select papers that were presented at the conference. These peer-reviewed papers are valuable contributions and of archival quality in bridge engineering.

Khaled Mahmoud