This spring, the bridge engineering community is offered a triple-dose of learning with the opportunity to attend three important events — The 27th annual International Bridge Conference; the Federation for Structural Concrete’s Third International fib Congress, held in conjunction with the annual Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Convention and Bridge Conference; and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures. While all three events will convene in the United States this year — a rare occurrence — two of the conferences will attract international audiences, as well as bridge engineers from across North America.
International Bridge Conference The 27th annual International Bridge Conference (IBC, www.internationalbridgeconference.org), sponsored by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) is scheduled for June 6-9, 2010, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. New in 2010 is the strategic partnership between the ESWP and the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The two organizations have worked together to develop conference curriculum focusing on bridge financing and regulations, new project delivery methods, and safety to help increase participation of highway and bridge contractors and public officials.
The event typically attracts more than 1,600 bridge owners and engineers, senior policy makers, government officials, bridge designers, construction executives, and suppliers from throughout the United States and abroad. In 2009, participants came from 49 States and 19 countries.
The conference opens on Monday, June 7 with the Keynote Session boasting the following internationally renowned speakers:
Following the Keynote Session is the lunchtime IBC Bridge Awards program, which is limited to the first 300 people who register. The program will include a presentation of the following five awards:
John A. Roebling Medal awarded for lifetime achievement in bridge engineering to John M. Kulicki, Ph.D., P.E., Modjeski and Masters, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
George S. Richardson Medal awarded for a single, recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering to Wuhan Tianxingzhou Rail-cumroad Yangtze River Bridge, Wuhan, Hubei Province, P.R. China
Gustav Lindenthal Medal for a single, recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating technical and material innovation, aesthetic merit, harmony with the environment, or successful community participation to Xihoumen Bridge, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
Eugene C. Figg Medal for a single, recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering that provides an icon to the community for which it was designed to George Street Bridge, New Brunswick, N.J.
Arthur G. Hayden Medal for a single recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating innovation in special use bridges to Riverside Bridge, Cambridge, U.K.
Additionally, the annual Student Paper Competition is available to all graduate and undergraduate civil engineering majors who attend an accredited college or university in the United States or worldwide. The winning paper will receive a $1,000 fellowship, complimentary conference registration and hotel, and travel allowances to attend the 27th IBC. The winning paper also will be considered for inclusion in the published proceedings and for presentation at the conference. Student competition papers must fall within one of the IBC Technical Session Topics listed in the conference Call for Papers. Students only must author the papers; papers co-authored by faculty advisors are not eligible. An international committee of engineers and academics will judge the papers. The 2009 Student Paper Competition Award winner was Michael Loy, Oregon Episcopal High School, for his paper entitled “Developing a Novel pH Buffer Methodology to Inhibit Corrosion of Steel Reinforcement in Concrete.” At press time, this year’s winner had not been announced publicly.
The afternoon of June 7 is slated for a presentation by the 2010 Featured Agency: Maryland State Highway Administration & Maryland Transportation Authority, whose representatives will discuss major projects and programs across the state. Presentation topics will include Recent Bridge Mega-Projects, Ongoing Bridge Research, Accelerated Bridge Construction, and Opportunities for Success — Dealing with Recent Bridge Emergencies.
The heart of the conference, the Technical Sessions, begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8. More than 75 technical papers were selected from nearly 200 abstracts to create a program for those interested in design, signature spans, maintenance, rehabilitation, inspection, management, and accelerated bridge construction. Conference attendees may choose from presentations in four concurrent technical sessions falling within the major topics of design, rehabilitation, long-span bridges, bridge management, research, construction, and pedestrian bridges. Technical presentations are scheduled every 25 minutes, and pre-selection of presentations is not required.
Workshops offer focused sessions on specific topics at no additional costs on all three event days. Some of this year’s workshops include Bridge Owner Program Forum, Galvanize Your Bridge, Traffic Management and Workzone Safety, and Project Delivery Methods.
Seminars are being offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at an additional cost of $125 each. They are four-hour intensive courses providing an in-depth focus on a variety of topics. Professional Development Hours (PDH) are available upon request. This year’s seminars include Load Rating of Gusset Plates, Earth Retention, Domestic Tunnel Scan, Micropile Applications, Design and Installation of Drilled Shafts, Dynamic Testing and Analysis of Bridge Foundations, and Use of HEC-RAS for Hydraulics and Scour Analysis.
A new twist for 2010 is the larger exhibitor hall, where more than 200 exhibitors are expected to display their wares, discuss their services, and be available for questions. There will even be space for large equipment to be on display for close inspection. For increased networking opportunities, all Technical Sessions will be located in rooms within the exhibit hall itself. This will allow plenty of time for exhibitors and conference attendees to interact between sessions and during coffee breaks and lunchtimes.
Early bird discount registration before May 7 is $475 for the full conference registration. After May 7, the price increases to $525. Attendees can register for any two days for $375 before May 7, and $425 after May 7. One-day registration is available for $200 early bird discount or $225 after May 7. Governmental attendees are charged just $375 prior to May 7 or $425 afterwards. A steeply discounted student rate is available for just $30 early bird or $40 regular registration.
The ESWP has provided a forum for the professional development and the facilities for the social interaction of its members for more than a century. The ESWP is chartered to advance the professions of engineering, architecture, and applied sciences through technical activities, public service participation, and social organizations. It also supports the needs of industries, communities, and government in Western Pennsylvania.
Established in 1902 in New York City and headquartered today in Washington, D.C., ARTBA is the oldest national transportation construction-related association. Its mission is to grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel. In support of this mission, ARTBA provides programs and services designed to give its more than 5,000 public and private sector members a global competitive edge.
PCI Convention hosts International fib Congress The Federation for Structural Concrete’s Third International fib Congress (www.fib2010washington.com) will be held in conjunction with the annual Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Convention and Bridge Conference (www.pci.org) on May 29-June 2, 2010, at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C.
The Federation for Structural Concrete, or Fédération Internationale du Béton (fib), holds its International Congress only once every four years: this will be the first fib Congress held in the United States. The last Congress in 2006 was held in Naples, Italy. The program, under the theme “Think Globally, Build Locally,” includes more than 500 peer-reviewed papers from 45 countries, combined with 100,000 square feet of exhibits.
Program topics include bridges and transportation, building systems, engineering, design, analysis, materials, sustainability, plant and field operations, construction, ultra-high-performance concrete, and more. There will also be sessions on marketing, sales, finance, manufacturing, and other pertinent issues. These sessions will qualify for professional development hours and other continuing education credits. In addition, fib will unveil the first draft of its 2010 Model Code for concrete structures (a follow-up to the 1978 and 1990 CEB/FIP Model Codes).
“The Congress represents a rare opportunity for practicing engineers, academics, manufacturers, architects, suppliers, and other stakeholders to easily access state-of-the-art design methods, recent research results, new technologies, and best building practices from all over the world,” said fib President Michael Fardis.
“The construction industry, concrete included, is by nature regional. With every Congress, fib breaks down the parochial boundaries and brings together experts from across the globe to share methods, innovations, and ideas.” said PCI President James G. Toscas, P.E. “This is particularly timely due to the accelerating interest in Building Information Modeling and sustainable design concepts, which represent the next stage in the evolution of building. And of course, we’re delighted to be able to host it here in the United States.”
Costs for the full conference are $1,075 for members; $1,295 for nonmembers. There will be a guided tour of two PCI-Certified precast concrete plants located in the Washington, D.C. area on the post conference day of June 3. Space is limited for the $75-per-person event, and pre-registration is required.
The PCI, founded in 1954, is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the technical institute for the precast/prestressed concrete structures industry. PCI develops standards and resources for design and construction of precast/prestressed concrete structures and maintains the “Body of Knowledge” for this industry. PCI publishes a broad array of periodicals, technical manuals, reports, and other informational documents, including an award-winning technical journal.
AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures (SCOBS) will hold its annual meeting at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, Sacramento, Calif., on May 23-27, 2010. Kevin Thompson, California state bridge engineer, will act as host. The annual meeting comprises two days of technical committee meetings and two days of general session.
During the first two days of the meeting, all 20 of the SCOBS technical committees, covering topics from infrastructure security to concrete and steel to seismic issues and more, come together to discuss and finalize proposed changes to current AASHTO bridges and structures engineering standards, specifications, and publications. Presentations are also made on research, unusual design challenges and innovations used, accelerated bridge construction, reauthorization, et cetera. These meetings are open to all in the industry, including state and federal engineers, academics, consultants, contractors, and industry representatives.
The second two days of the meeting include the Chairman’s Lecture and the General Session. The Chairman’s Lecture this year will be given by Man-Chung Tang, Ph.D., chairman of the board of TY Lin International. “This is the high point of the week, in my opinion — the best of the best,” said Thompson. “Last year’s lecture was given by Robert Boh, president of Boh Brothers Construction, which was responsible for rebuilding many of the bridges damaged in Hurricane Katrina.
Finally, during the General Session, all changes that will be made to the AASHTO Bridges and Structures publications are presented, discussed by the full committee, and balloted. This portion of the meeting also is open to any interested parties and is a good place to learn of upcoming changes to specifications.
Registration (www.iplanevents.com/AASHTO2010 ) for the four-day event is $450; the one-day-only registration fee is $100.
Theresa M. Casey, FSMPS, CPSM, is founding principal of On Target Marketing & Communications, LLC, in Columbia, Conn. She can be reached at tcasey@on-target.biz.
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