FIU to develop technology to fix and build bridges -- fast

MIAMI, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded FIU a $1.4 million grant to work on one of the nation's leading challenges—deteriorating bridges.

The Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC) at FIU is the first federally-funded entity focused on developing technology and methods to improve and accelerate the construction of bridges.

The center, led by Atorod Azizinamini, one of the world's leading bridge engineers, will tackle an urgent transportation need: Most of the nation's roadway system was designed more than 50 years ago to carry much less traffic. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and need to be retrofitted or replaced, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The grant, by the DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, makes FIU one of 20 Tier One University Transportation Centers in the U.S. Funding is eligible to be renewed in 2014. Matching funds could bring the total impact of the project to more than $5.6 million over two years.

"We pride ourselves on our groundbreaking, problem-solving research," said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. "With this grant we become a solutions center for our entire country, as we tackle the urgent challenge of building and replacing our nation's critical infrastructure."

Rosenberg said he is particularly appreciative of the support FIU has received from the South Florida Congressional delegation in the university's effort to improve transportation at the local, regional and national levels.

"FIU, once again, is being recognized for leading the nation on issues of such importance as transportation infrastructure," said U.S Rep Mario Diaz-Balart. "We are glad to champion such important priorities not only for the economy of South Florida, but the competitiveness and safety of our country."

Earlier this month, FIU won an $11.4 million TIGER grant from DOT to improve connectivity between the university's west Miami-Dade campus, the neighboring city of Sweetwater and other parts of Greater Miami in public-private partnership dubbed UniversityCity.

Azizinamini, chair of FIU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the ABC-UTC at FIU said that the center will focus on faster construction methods that are more cost-effective and result in more durable bridges, while minimizing the interruptions to traffic.

"Our objective is to make accelerated bridge construction the new way of building bridges. In order to do that we have to develop new technology, we have to transfer that technology to the profession, and we have to develop the workforce," said Azizinamini, who is also the principal investigator on another multi-million dollar national project that resulted in the development of the first comprehensive document dedicated to enhance the service life of bridges titled Design Guide for Bridges For Service Life.

The ABC-UTC is a consortium which includes researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Nevada, Reno.

Media Contact:
James Hellegaard
561-319-2233
news.fiu.edu

SOURCE Florida International University