Online Resources in this issue:

Prefab Bridge in Monroe County

• When the Monroe County Road Commission (MCRC) needed to replace the deteriorating Suder Avenue Bridge in September, 2006, they looked at alternatives to the conventional box culvert or three-sided culvert replacement options to minimize cost and construction time. By choosing innovative prefabricated structural elements, the MCRC was able to replace the bridge using their own road crews, thereby saving cost and improving overall structural performance.
Links to FHWA Resources
Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems
Bridge Research and Deployment Program
FY 2008 Budget Request for RDT&E
FY 2008 Budget Request for RDT&E
Links to Michigan DEQ Resources
Bridge and Culvert Guidelines
Transportation & Hydraulic Review

New Sign Retroreflectivity Requirements

• One of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) primary missions is to improve safety on the nation’s roadways. More than 42,000 people have been killed on American roads during each of the past eight years. While only one-quarter of all travel occurs at night, about half of the traffic fatalities occur during nighttime hours. To address this disparity, the FHWA has adopted new traffic sign retroreflectivity requirements that are included as Revision 2 of the 2003 MUTCD.
More info
Retroreflectivity Info from FHWA

The Perfect Time to Begin (or Keep Going)

• One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions of the modern day is exercise! There’s no better time than spring to revisit the commitment you made on January 1. So why exercise and what kind of exercise program should you engage yourself in?.
More info
MTU Department of Exercise Science

Building Michigan’s Construction Workforce

• As bus after bus pulled into the Michigan CCD event, students were treated to a great view of cranes, backhoes, dozers, excavators and more. When the students stepped off the buses, each was given a hard hat (theirs to keep), and was sent off to explore careers in construction. For the next four hours, they worked side-by-side with professional equipment operators, carpenters, engineers, electricians and more.
More info
Michigan CCD

Other Bridge issues can be found here.