BRISTOL, U.K. — Extensive use of advanced composite materials — glass and /or carbon fibre reinforced polymers — could be the answer to building bridges in half the time, thereby dramatically reducing costs and traffic flow disruption during construction without altering the structural reliability of the completed bridges. New research led by Wendel Sebastian, senior lecturer in structural engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at Bristol University, is looking at the use of advanced composite decks for traffic bridges.

LOUISVILLE, KY. — The Ohio River Bridges Project could be paid for with local commuter tolls in the $1 range, with local commuter tolls of 75 cents for regular users of the bridges, according to a new report. The Bridges Coalition, a private nonprofit group that supports the Ohio River Bridges Project, submitted the findings of its own independent financial analysis to the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority, which is developing the financing plan to build two new bridges and replace Spaghetti Junction with a more modern, functional interchange. 

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Construction on a new Black River Bridge in Port Huron, Mich., can now begin thanks to a signed agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Transportation for a $30 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The money will go toward replacing the existing bridge, which was built in 1963, with a modern structure that will separate international and local traffic and improve the approaching I-94/I-69 corridors and interchanges.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a new majority in the House, a new chairman, and many new members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as a changing national economic picture, it is worth asking the question, "What's ahead for transportation in 2011?"

From wsj.com: Study finds public-private road projects faster, but more expensive
From chicagotribune.com: 293 Chicago-area bridges rated 'structurally deficient'
From money.cnn.com: Build America Bonds program ends Dec. 31