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The article presents a discussion on new techniques and materials for constructing bridges in the U.S. The Federal Highway Administration's "Highways for LIFE" initiative helps disseminate information about techniques and materials that state and local highway programs are testing. Brian Keierleber, county engineer in Buchanan County, Iowa, uses railroad flat cars to replace bridge decks on small rural roads and boxcars to replace culverts. Mark Nahra uses new techniques in timber construction, which costs less than concrete and steel.

This article discusses the move of state and local governments in the U.S. to fight for their shares of the newly appropriated federal transportation funding as of October 2005. With roads and bridges crumbling all over the nation, earmarking federal funds for projects such as the $230 million "bridge to nowhere" in rural Alaska makes little sense. Also questionable is dedicating $800,000 toward a plan to enclose a 1.5-mile-long, 300-foot-wide stretch of the Eisenhower Expressway just outside Chicago. New York State received the second highest number of special projects, with 494 totaling $990 million. While the projects may serve the state's urban areas with road upgrades and rail and mass transit projects, in other areas of the state, bridges and roads will suffer because of a lack of attention.

Reports on the opening of the cable-stayed Fred Hartman Bridge across the Houston Ship Channel in Texas in September 1995. Reflection of the art of contemporary structural engineering; Surface area; Replacement of the obsolete Baytown Tunnel; Capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day; Conduit for the economic development of communities east of Houston; Goal of the bridge's design.

The article focuses on the Lincoln Nebraska Foot Bridge in Nebraska, which connects Pinnacle Bank Arena and Haymarket Park. It is noted that the 611-foot-long bridge was Conceived and designed and built by Kansas City company Dimensional Innovations (DI). It is stated that the bridge serve as a centerpiece to a restored part of Lincoln.

This article offers information on John James Audubon Bridge project, which was built as part of the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development (TIMED) Program of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The bridge is located over the Mississippi River and runs 90 miles between Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. A description of the bridge is provided as well as construction highlights.

The article discusses the issue of safety of bridges in the U.S. following rush-hour collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in August 2007. At the time of the collapse, the I-35W bridge was listed as structurally deficient on the National Bridge Inventory. One week after the Minneapolis bridge collapse, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Representative Jim Oberstar announced a plan to fix the nation's bridges such as improved bridge inspection requirements.

Reports on the efforts of the New York Department of Transportation to replace several steel overpass bridges as part of a project to rebuild and improve the Long Island Expressway. Cost of the rehabilitation project; Contractor that will provide steel for the bridges; Schedule of project completion.

Discusses the transformation process of the Douglas Street Bridge in Wichita, Kansas. Information on the downtown renewal project headed by the Professional Engineering Consultants; Description of the bridge; Details on the aesthetic and structural construction done on the bridge.

Provides information on the opening of a historic swing bridge in Romeoville, Illinois. History of the bridge; Problems caused by the closure of the bridge; Benefits of reopening the bridge.

Reports on the award given to restoration efforts of the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California by the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California and the American Consulting Engineers Council.

Reports on Iowa's statewide bridge management system (BMS) that will collect, store and analyze inventory and condition data and help establish histories for all public bridges. Development by the Iowa Bridge Management Technical Committee at the Department of Transportation; Use of the software PONTIS.

The article discusses the findings by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on the state and conditions of bridges in the U.S. and the findings by marketing firm Govalytics on the top 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) making investment in bridge projects.

The article discusses the need for the U.S. federal government to focus its programs on public highway bridges maintenance in 2011. According to a report released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), at least 11 per cent of the highway bridges in the country are structurally deficient. Nonprofit organization Transportation for America (T4 America) requires the government to allot more budget for the maintenance and repair of the bridges.

The article reports on the opening of the new Main Street Bridge in Columbus, Ohio on July 30, 2010 designed by Spiro Pollalis, with the bridge plans finalized by DLZ Ohio Inc. and subconsultant HNTB Corp.

A photograph of the bridges linking Fort Myers, Florida to North Fort Myers and Cape Coral over the Caloosahatchee River is presented.

This section offers news briefs in the U.S. New York has contracted with EMCOR Group to upgrade electrical systems along a portion of The Wantagh State Parkway on Long Island. Napa, California, has contracted with PB to manage construction of the First Street Bridge over the Napa River. The Indiana Department of Transportation has contracted with URS to design the widening and rebuilding of stretches of 1-465 and 1-69

The author discusses the state of the bridges in the U.S. He points out the possibility that the U.S. people are more interested in the drama than the need to determine why the I-35 West bridge near Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed. The author discusses the report "Bridging the Gap, Holding Together the Nation's Bridges" from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). He offers information on the efforts made by states to improve bridge conditions which include Cassandra, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.

An image of the new Cumberland River Pedestrian bridge in Nashville, Tennessee, is presented.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to a news story on the bridge inspection cycle in New Mexico.

The article reports that at least 17,000 U.S. bridges went more than two years between inspections despite federal regulations requiring biennial checkups, according to MSNBC.com. The collapse of the 1-35W bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007 that killed 13 people led to a call for increased funding to repair dangerous bridges, but the MSNBC.com report found that 2,728 bridges labeled as deficient or obsolete in the National Bridge Inventory had gone more than two years between inspections, according to the article.

The author argues that there is a relationship between collapsing bridges and collapsing mortgages in the U.S. He argues that both conditions have affected communities, which manifested in the imminent foreclosure of 165,000 home mortgages. He contends that investment banks and other financial institutions have created a collateralized debt obligation using riskier loans from existing mortgage-backed securities.

The article describes a photograph of the Fred Hartman Bridge at sunrise which was taken by Stephen Barr, parks and recreation director for La Porte, Texas. The bridge is a major landmark and transportation link that carries up to 200,000 cars per day over Galveston Bay.

This article focuses on the 400-foot-long bridge between Shelburne and Buckland, Massachusetts which was adopted by residents Walter and Antoinette Burnham, with the help of the Shelburne Falls Woman's Club in 1928. The bridge was transformed into a blossoming garden, a bridge of flowers. Still maintained by the Shelburne Falls Woman's Club nearly 80 years later, the bridge attracts about 30,000 visitors from around the world to tire community annually.

The article announces the winner of a photo contest featured in the December 2005 issue of American City & County. The winner for the month is Scott Larson, assistant city engineer for Coralville in Iowa. His photo depicts the Iowa River Dam Renovation and Pedestrian Bridge Project. The bridge will provide a trail connection between Coralville and Iowa City.

The article evaluates products used for city planning, including the MarketSUITE™, a retail attraction and retention software from MapInfo, Galvanized Vehicular Bridges from Steadfast and Elgin Eagle and Pelican waterless sweepers.

This article describes how officials in Sacramento County, California, have successfully addressed the challenge of rebuilding the Franklin Boulevard Bridge without disturbing a colony of Mexican free-tail bats living in the area. While federal regulation did not require the critters' habitat to be replaced when the bridge was rebuilt, local and state officials decided the bats were worth incorporating in the new design. From March to October of each year, the bats would roost in the bridge's trestle to mate, give birth and nurture their pups. With an unoccupied weight of 540 pounds each, the 4-foot-square, 5-foot-tall bat condos are supported 15 feet above the ground to prevent flooding and to allow departing bats to fall and catch air in their wings before taking flight.

Presents updates on transportation projects of local governments in the U.S. as of August 2005. Partnership of the Chicago, Illinois Department of Transportation with Parsons Brinckerhoff for city bridge inspections; Selection of HNTB by the Atlanta Regional Commission for the update of congestion management system in Georgia; Appointment of Rich and Associates to conduct a feasibility study on parking demands.

Focuses on the installation of wireless wind measurement systems on Maryland bridges by the State Highway Administration (SHA) to alert officials to dangerous conditions that may warrant their temporary closure. Threat posed by hurricanes to the motorists on the Severn River Bridge before the installation; Terms of a contract secured by SHA Communications Division Chief Craig Fetzer with Saint Louis, Missouri-based Surface Systems Inc. to design a wind measurement system; Total cost of the installation projects for the two bridges.

Focuses on the upgrade of lighting on the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, which the city bought from London, England in 1962. Dedication of the landmark in October 1971; Installation of the new light bulbs in August 2004; Considerations for the design and construction of the lighting feature.

Presents information on the restoration and improvement made on the Sixth Street Viaduct steel bridge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reason of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for restoring the structure; Features of the structure; Cost of the project.

Presents news briefs in the U.S. as of November 2002. Ethics complaint filed by Peachtree City in Atlanta Georgia, Mayor Steve Brown against himself; Purpose of the elephant march from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston, Massachusetts.

Provides information on the Phoenix's grasshopper pedestrian bridge, which was erected over the east fork of the Cave Creek Wash, to protect children from floodwaters. What was inplace before the bridge was erected; Chief design engineer of the project; Features of the bridge; What was required for the construction; Who the grasshopper bridge was designed by; Who the bridge was dedicated to.

Reports on the completion of the second Blue Water Bridge (BWB) in Port Huron, Michigan. Information on the original BWB; Who participated in the planning of the bridge; Reference to the ASSHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design code; Design of the bridge.

Reports on plans to build a recreational park beside a bridge replacement project in Brooklyn, New York City. Parks designed on platforms over freight tracks; Reintegration n of Sunset Park communities; Conversion of the park into a green space; Cost of the planned park.

Focuses on the contributions of the citizens of Queen Creek, Arizona to the design and construction of the Ellsworth Road Bridge. Help provided by concerned stakeholders working with a private engineer and a graphic artist; Uniqueness of the bridge; Community/government partnering modeled by the bridge.

Reports on the Award of Merit for Design Excellence given by the US Federal Highway Administration to a State Route 414 bridge in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

Reports on the opening of the Blatnik Bridge in Minnesota. Reconstruction project by Parsons Brinckerhoff; Bridge named after the House Public Works Committee Chairman John Blatnik.

Features the Sonar ScourVision System for bridge inspection developed by American Inland Divers, Houston, Texas. Accurate inspection information during normal and extreme river velocities; Problem of scour; Difficulties of diver inspections; Utilization of the new technology.

Reports on the status of repair works on Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Reports on the opening of the Bob Michel Bridge, a four-lane bridge spanning the Illinois River in Peoria, Illinois. Description; Cost.