Tag: Federal Highway Administration

Understanding Highway Hydraulics Keeps Bridges, People Safe

By Pete Haug, PE One of the principles of engineering is that water always wins. Whether contained in a river or falling in a rainstorm, water finds a way to infiltrate basements, saturate soils – and undermine bridges. The most common cause of bridge failures is from floods scouring bed material surrounding bridge foundations. What… Read More »

Inspectors Make Sure Gorgeous Bridges Are Safe Bridges

By Rick Maslyn, CBI MSN.com recently compiled a listing of “Gorgeous Photos of Bridges in Every State.” The photos range from suspension and cable-stayed bridges crossing major water bodies to pedestrian bridges in parks. What unites these and most of the approximately 600,000 structures in the United States is that they are safe because they… Read More »

HAWK Signals Get Drivers’ Attention, Let Pedestrians Cross Safely

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently installed this HAWK crosswalk on Riverside Drive (State Highway 57) in Allouez, near Green Bay. The pedestrian-activated crosswalk gives walkers and bicyclists safer access to the nearby Fox River State Recreational Trail.   Crosswalks have come a long way since The Beatles made one famous by picturing it on… Read More »