Engineer wins honor for bridge design
Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
WASHINGTON — A University of Maine civil engineer is being recognized nationally for an innovative bridge deck design for the Skidmore Road bridge between the towns of Washington and Union.
Roberto Lopez-Anido worked with University of Maine graduate students and faculty, the Maine Department of Transportation and Kenway Corp. of Augusta to design a wood composite bridge deck that can be installed in less time than a standard concrete deck.
UMaine and DOT engineers will receive plaques from APA —The Engineered Wood Association of Tacoma, Wash. The award is one of 15 announced as part of the National Timber Bridge Award Program.
According to a news release from the University of Maine Department of Public Affairs, UMaine engineers at the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center worked to develop "durable adhesive bond interfaces between fiber reinforced polymer composite materials and wood laminations treated with preservatives." Kenway Corp. manufactured the bridge deck modules in Augusta.
Although the cost of the wood composite deck is higher than that of a concrete deck, engineers say the wood composite deck will last longer and cost less to maintain.
Funding for the project came from the towns of Washington and Union, DOT and the Federal Highway Administration.