A steel bridge originally intended only for research in a lab remained strong enough through testing to become a viable real-world structure. In late October, it was officially set in place for an unforeseen second life.
The town of Kent, N.Y., set a 40-ft-long steel bridge as a pedestrian crossing over a small section of Lake Carmel on October 31, solidifying its reuse after serving its purpose as a custom-built research test structure at the University at Buffalo. The bridge has 6-ft girder spacing, is supported by W27x84 sections, and is outfitted with buckling-restrained braces (BRBs)--all as part of a project to test the seismic resilience BRBs could provide in a bridge.
Buffalo engineering professor Michel Bruneau and former PhD student Homero Carrion Cabrera led the project and put the bridge through more than 100 simulated earthquakes that tested the BRBs’ capacity. The research results alone made the project worthwhile. The bridge remaining undamaged after all tests made it even more impactful and highlighted structural steel’s reusability.
The university donated the bridge to the town of Kent, which needed a replacement crossing after storms washed out two culvert pipes in July 2023–the sixth time in 40 years that culverts were ruined. When Kent Highway Department Superintendent Richard Othmer learned about the bridge, he wrote to the university explaining why it would help and where envisioned putting it. He received immediate backing from Kent Town Supervisor Jaime McGlasson and the Kent Town Board.
“We breathed a collective sigh of relief as we stood by the crane while the bridge was set,” Othmer said. “The bridge was a perfect fit, with only 1 in. to spare on either side of the pillars. Bridge setting ended our three-year journey of solving a recurring infrastructure conundrum. We now have a durable and lasting structure that can withstand extreme weather events, enabling emergency access and egress to a repetitive and unremitting flood zone section.”
The engineer (Barton & Loguidice) and contractor (Baker Brothers) made only minor structural changes before installing the bridge, which itself was also donation-based. AISC full-member fabricator High Steel Structures donated girder fabrication and shipment to the lab, CoreBrace provided the BRBs, full-member fabricator R.J. Watson fabricated bridge bearings, and AISC donated structural steel, bearing materials, and shear studs.
The bridge, now known as the Veteran’s Park Memorial Bridge, will open to pedestrians in mid-November and be dedicated with a commemorative plaque on Memorial Day 2025.