September 5, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO - Students around the country are gearing up for another exciting Student Steel Bridge Competition--and the American Institute of Steel Construction and American Society of Civil Engineers have just announced the challenge that they'll have to solve by designing, fabricating, and erecting a scale-model steel bridge!

In this year's hypothetical scenario, Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, La., is considering the addition of a disc golf course with a non-invasive, man-made river as a water hazard. And where there's water, there must be a bridge for players, park employees, and maintenance vehicles to get to the other side. Lincoln Parish Park is one of the most popular in the nation because it's particularly beautiful. This bridge must be aesthetically pleasing, too! 

This year, teams will be allowed to install and use temporary barges in the man-made river to facilitate construction--but doing so will increase a bridge's cost. The full rules, as well as updated resources for teams and faculty advisors, are now available at aisc.org/ssbc.

"Students consistently tell us that the Student Steel Bridge Competition is not only a highlight of their college experience but provides an invaluable hands-on perspective that informs their careers in the real world," said AISC Senior Director of Education Christina Harber, SE, PE. "I am so excited to see what this year's competition holds!"

The Student Steel Bridge Competition is an annual competition that challenges student teams to develop a scale-model steel bridge. Each team must determine how to fabricate their bridge and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction at the competition. Bridges are then load-tested and weighed. The bridge must span approximately 20 feet, carry 2,500 pounds, and must meet all other specifications of the competition rules. Bridge aesthetics are also judged and considered in the final results of the competition.

The 20 regional competitions will take place at ASCE Student Symposia throughout the country in the spring, and the top teams will gather at Louisiana Tech University for the national finals on May 31 and June 1, 2024. Highlights of the 2023 Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals at University of California, San Diego are available on YouTube.

AISC and ASCE would like to thank this year's sponsors: Nucor, W&W | AFCO Steel, Bentley Education, Trimble, the American Galvanizers Association, Atlas Tube, GWY, LeJeune Bolt Company, SpaceX, St. Louis Screw and Bolt, and Unytite, Inc.