Easy Up, Not-So-Easy Down: Builders Replace Bridge In Only Days Using Lightweight, ...

Easy Up, Not-So-Easy Down: Builders Replace Bridge In Only Days Using Lightweight, ...: "Using new fiberglass-polymer materials, contractors in Springfield, Mo., have just subjected a decaying, 70-year-old bridge to a makeover that was as quick as it was dramatic. Instead of snarling traffic for two to three weeks while they repaired the crumbling deck, girders and guardrails by conventional methods--laying plywood, tying steel rebar and pouring concrete--the workers used pre-fabricated plates and cages developed by a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported university-industry partnership to finish the job in a mere five days.