Editor Tinathan Royce

Awards CompetitionAnnounced

IIhe program: The fIrst na-tional awards competition

for timber bridges is being launchedby four major wood products tradeassociations and the USDA Forest

Service. This competition isdesigned to stimulate innovativeand efficient use of modem timber

bridges in upgrading the nation'shighway bridge infrastructure.

The Need: According to the FederalHighway Administration, ap-proximately 240,000 U.S. Highwaybridges have been declared eitherfunctionally obsolete or structurallydeficient, requiring extensiverehabilitation or complete replace-ment. Many of these bridges are lo-cated on the secondary or ruralhighway system with spans of 50 feetor less, making them ideal candidatesfor replacement or rehabilitation byone of today's modem wood bridgesystems. This new generationof woodbridges includes stress-laminatedsolid sawn designs, glued laminatedtimber systems, and composite lum-ber applications.

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Issue 2 November 1990

Congress OK's Timber BridgeInitiative for '91.s part of the comprehensive budget recently enacted,iii the United States Congress has funded the Timber

Bridge Initiativefor fiscal year 1991. The Program will againreceive $2,000,000 for the construction of modern timberbridges throughout the nation. The Timber Bridge Informa-tion ResourceCenter is now accepting proposals for participa-tion in this Initiative.

Each area has been assigned a Timber Bridge Regional Coor-dinator*. These coordinatorscan supplyyou with the requiredapplication package and will answer your questions. Pleasereturn the completedpackage to your Coordinator. The list ofCoordinators, their address, and phone number, and the statesthey represent are as follows:

Region 1: Vernon Meyer; USDA-Forest Service; FederalBldg., P.O. Box 7669; Missoula MT 59807; Telephone: 406-329-3388; STATES: Montana, northern Idaho, NorthDakota,and northwestern South Dakota.

Region 2, 3, & 4: Clare Mitchell; USDA-Forest Service;Federal Bldg., 324 25th St., Ogden, Ut 84401; Telephone:801-625-5260; STATES: Colorado,Kansas,Nebraska, SouthDakota, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Idaho,Nevada, and Utah

Region 5: Dean Huber; USDA-Forest Service; 630 SansomeSt., San Francisco, CA 94111; Telephone: 415-705-2871;STATES: California, Hawaii, Guam and Trust Territories ofthe Pacific Islands.

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Your University at Work

II niversity of Wisconsin -New and uniquetimber bridge systems in the form of

stress-laminated timber decks, glu-laminateddecks, andmany forms of stress-laminatedparallelchord. bridge configurations have been inves-tigated, tested and built in a continuingprogram ofresearch at theUniversity of Wisconsin since 1985.

. Thoughuse of stress-laminatingto builda timberbridge seemsto be commonly accepted, therewereno stress-laminated bridges in the United States asshort a time as five years ago, before the contem-porary programs of timber research in the U.S. hadstarted. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation,however, had already identified the technique ofstress- laminating as an excellent means ofrehabilitating existing timber bridges and con-structing new spans. We were given a tremendoushead start in developing stress-laminated bridgesystems in the United States by the Ontario work.The University of Wisconsin first tested a 50ft.bridge, using a new form of stress-laminated con-structionwhich includedheavy timber laminaeandconstruction practices appropriate for the U.S. inthe summer of 1985. That early test program ledto construction of the first experimental stress-laminated timber bridge in the United States and agrowth of interest in stress- laminating techniquesamong government transportation authorities anduniversity researchers.

That first bridge test has been followed by a com-plete series of tests, development of analyticalmethods, and field studiesof stress-laminatedsolidtimber bridge decks. Based on our entire researchprogram a proposed guide design specificationforstress-laminateddecks wasprepared at theUniver-sity and was given an initial approval by voiceballot at the annual meeting of AASHTO BridgeEngineers in May 1989. That guide specificationhas been subjected to a second letter ballot duringthe past summer and the voting is currently beingtallied to see if it will become a part of the 1991AASHTO Guide Specifications.

In addition to the research on plain solid stress-laminated timber bridges, further research at theUniversity has been continuing since 1986on newmethods of constructing long-span timber bridges,beyond the span range of the plain decks. Con-figurationswhichhavebeen andare beingexploredincludebridgeswheremanyforms ofparallel chordtrusses are stress- laminated together, bridgeswhich wood-plywoodI beamsare stress-laminatedtogether,andparallel chordbridgeswherein the topand bottom chords are separated by webs to formbox girders. The truss systems have included con-figurations where the individual elements aredoweled togetherand systems using metal connec-tor plates. The box girder systems are using stand-ard sized glu-laminated panels and beams whichare then.stress-laminated together to form multiplebox girders.

The knowledge developed from the Universityprojects has been distributed through nine univer-sity research reports, USDA Forest Product Labreports (wheresupportwasprovidedbyFPL),jour-nal articles, and the proposed AASHTO GuideSpecifications.

./

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-Michael G. Oliva

Associate Professor of

Civil Engineering

University of Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

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-Awards Competition Announcedcontinuedfrompage 1

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The Awards: This awards competition willrecognize significant accomplishments in thedesign.and construction of timber bridges nation-wide. Awards will be presented in four categories:

. pedestrian/light vehicular bridges

. vehicularbridgeswithmainspansoflessthan40 feet

. vehicular bridges with main spansgreater than 40 feet

.. rehabilitation of an existing bridge usingtimber

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"Any timber bridge opened to trafficduring 1987-89 is eligible for theseinitial awards."

The awards, to be known as the "EngineeredTim-ber Bridge Awards", will be presented annually,beginning with the fIrst winners to be selected in1990.Those eligible to apply are architects,desig-ners, engineers, contractors, sub-contractors,developers, owners, township, city, county, federaloffIcials, and anyone else who is involved in creat--'-'

ing modem wood bridges. Any timber bridgeopened to traffIc during 1987-89 is eligible forthese initial awards. Stress-laminated solid sawndesigns, glued laminated timber applications,structural composite lumber systems, or any otherdesign using engineered wood products will beconsidered.

There will be award plaques and trophies presented inall four categories. These specially designed prestigetrophies will include a color photo of the winningbridge, and the names of its designer, contractor, andowner or sponsor. One plaque will go to the designand construction team and a distinctive award plaquewill also be placed on each award-winning bridgeduring a ceremony to be held at the bridge site. Win-ners will be selected by an experienced jury withexpertise in timber bridge design. Entty kits will beavailable to timber bridge owners, designers, and con-tractors later in 1990.

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Awards Competition Announcedcontinued from page 3

Tbe Sponsors: This awards program is co-spon-sored by the American Institute of Timber Con-struction (AITC); National Forest ProductsAssociation (NFPA); Southern Pine MarketingCouncil (SPMC); Western Wood Products As-sociation (WWPA); and the USDAForest Service.AITC has been identified as the secretariat for thisawards program.

WANTED: THE NATION'S BEST TIMBERBRIDGES

Your Help is Needed: The costs of the En-gineered Timber Bridge Award Program will beabout $35,000for advertising andpromotion,costsof judging, mailings, photography, trophies andawards, press kits, entry materials, and coordina-tion. The USDA Forest Service has provided agrant of $15,000 to initiate this activity. Thisleaves $20,000 to be generated by the woodproducts industry. The sponsoring organizationsinvite you to consider a contribution to this impor-tant wood industry program. Anyone wishing ad-ditional informationregarding thisprogram shouldcontact AITC at 11818Mill Plain Blvd., Suite 415,Vancouver,WA 98684-5092,Telephone 206-254-9132, Fax 206-254- 9456

-Tom WilliamsonAmerican Institute ofTimber Construction

Congress OK's Timber BridgeInitiative for '91continued from page 1

Region 6: Willian von Segen; USDA-Forest Ser-vice; 319 SW Pine St., P.O. Box 3623, Portland,OR 97208; Telephone: 503-326-2729; STATES:Oregon and Washington

Region 8: Robert Westbrook; USDA-Forest Ser-vice; 2500 Shreveport Highway, Pineville, LA71360; Telephone: 318-473-7272; STATES:Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,Louisiana, Mississippi, Nonh Carolina, Ok-lahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee,Texas, Virgin Islands, and Virginia

Region 9: Edward Pepke; USDA-Forest Service;1992 Folwell Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108;Telephone: 612-649-5238; STATES: Connec-ticut, Delaware, illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine,Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, NewYork, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ver-mont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin

Region 10: Eugene Wheeler; USDA-Forest Ser-vice; 201 E. 9th Ave., Suite 201, Anchorage, AK99501; Telephone: 907-271-2575; STATES:Alaska

*NOTE: The Forest Service does not have aRegion 7.

-Tinathan A. RoyceUSDA-Forest Service

Information, Planning & AnalysisMorgantown, WV

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