DETROIT, Mich. -A new $2 million Federal Highway Administration grant to Wayne State University researchers is good news for Michigan's aging bridges. The money will go a long way toward perfecting new safety and maintenance methods, says Gongkang Fu, director of the WSU Center for Advanced Bridge Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Fu and his colleagues are developing novel materials to make bridges safer, and are experimenting with unique remote sensing devices to detect possible structural problems. They are eager to demonstrate that new plastic materials and sensing devices can be used on new and existing concrete bridges, saving taxpayers millions of dollars on bridge maintenance and improvement.

There are nearly 11,000 bridges in the state, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Over the next five years, MDOT expects to spend $925 million to inspect and repair bridges all over the state in an effort to reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges by 10 percent. The WSU researchers hope to reduce that number even more by working with MDOT in applying their new methods to the bridge network that runs throughout the state, Fu says.

"Nowhere else, as far as I know, are researchers trying, using or developing the new technology that we're working on," says Fu. His colleagues in the bridge center are Ron Gibson, professor of mechanical engineering, H.C. Wu, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, Ivan Avrutsky, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Haluk Aktan, professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The researchers are working with several Michigan counties to build short-span bridges using fiber-reinforced decks made of plastic. The material is more expensive than the traditional concrete used in most bridges, but the fiber composite deck will hold up much longer than concrete, which tends to crack and slowly lose its integrity from traffic loads and the weather.

They are preparing to do additional research on bridge bearings, the buffers that sit between the piers and the deck that permit expansion and rotation. Fu plans to imbed fiber optic sensors in the bearings that monitor the condition of the bridge and sense any damage that incurs over time.

"Using the sensors makes the process of looking at wear and tear more quantitative and less labor intensive," says Professor Fu. The sensors could be checked from a remote position instead of by a road crew, reducing labor costs and traffic slowdowns, he adds. The researchers can also use the data to estimate how similar bridges stand up over time and predict where weak spots may occur.

The researchers will also be placing high-resolution optical cameras around existing bridges to inspect wear and tear. The cameras are portable and capable of producing very high-resolution images. The detailed photographs will then be used to diagnose problems in the bridge's structure and help researchers tackle similar problems in other bridges.