Short Span Steel Bridges 
Steel Bridge Solutions Make Top 20 Innovations List for Rural Bridge Replacements
Article provided by the Iowa DOT Systems Planning Bureau
Rural infrastructure serves as the critical first mile/last mile connections for the agricultural industry. The roads and bridges making up this system allow for the delivery of inputs to the field and outputs to market by linking production areas to freight facilities and the Iowa Multimodal Freight Network.
Given the rapidly changing agricultural landscape and the diminishing buying power of existing transportation resources, it is important to continue to be good stewards of funding by exploring all options for creating the most beneficial impacts with limited dollars.
In an effort to promote more cost-effective approaches to replacing and repairing rural bridges without compromising safety, the Soy Transportation Coalition has released “The Top 20 Innovations for Rural Bridge Replacement and Repair.”
This report features ten rural bridge replacement and ten rural bridge repair innovations selected by a group of 13 bridge engineers and experts from 13 states.
Whitman County, Washington saved 32 percent over concrete by using a steel superstructures for the Seltice-Warner Bridge.
Top Innovations List for Rural Bridge Replacements
Among the 10 innovations selected for replacements (10 were selected for replacements, 10 for repair), the following steel solutions were included in listing of the Top 20 Innovations for Rural Bridge Replacement:
- Press Brake Tub Girders
- Galvanized Steel Beams
- Railroad Flat Car Bridges
- All Steel Piers
- Galvanized H-Piling
For more information, view the Press Release and Full Report provided by the Soy Transportation Coalition
Established in 2007, the Soy Transportation Coalition is comprised of thirteen state soybean boards, the American Soybean Association, and the United Soybean Board. The goal of the organization is to position the soybean industry to benefit from a transportation system that delivers cost effective, reliable, and competitive service,
What are buried steel bridges?
Buried steel bridges provide an economical choices for bridge replacement or bridge rehabilitation.
They essentially are a corrugated steel pipe or structural plate pipe systems that is “buried” with backfill to carry loads through soil-structure interaction. This means the bridge structure itself and the backfill soils surrounding the structure interact with each other to support the loads. In effect, the backfill material is part of the bridge.
Because of this interaction, the bridge structure is typically lighter, and there can be significant savings in structure costs.
There are also many cases where buried bridges can carry heavier loads than traditional bridges because of the benefits of spreading vehicle loads through the fill. Buried bridges do not require abutments; and unless foundation soil conditions are poor, do not typically
require deep foundations.An additional benefit with buried bridges is that they can be tailored to site conditions and geometric requirements. The design includes inputs for site soils and backfill, meaning that locally available materials can often be used in construction and the structure can be tailored to fit the needs of the site and the owner’s requirements.
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Events
SSSBA to Sponsor Two Educational Sessions at the 2026 International Bridge Conference (June 15-17)
The SSSBA will participate in two educational sessions at the 2026 International Bridge Conference, taking place at the National Harbor, Maryland. Attendees will learn how tools such as eBEAM140, eSPAN140, LRFD Simon and AISC/NSBA Standard Plans can help streamline steel bridge design, improve decision-making and enhance project efficiency.
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AISI Welding Advisory Group Meets at WJE Headquarters
The AISI Welding Advisory Group (WAG) met at WJE in Northbrook, Illinois, for a full day of technical presentations, discussion and a tour of the WJE lab focused on advancing welding technology for steel bridges and related structures.