Brasher bridge will be watched

County bridge projects can cost millions, and a Clarkson University associate professor says it's high time someone keep tabs on them to ensure they last long enough to justify the expense.

St. Lawrence County will use a lightweight, fiberglass-like material to replace the steel deck on the 50-year-old County Route 55 Bridge, Brasher, and a team of Clarkson University engineering faculty and students will electronically monitor structural strain and environmental conditions to see how well the new deck holds up.

"I think hopefully this would be a trend in the future for all infrastructure to be monitored, not just built and forgotten about until there's an issue," said Kerop D. Janoyan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Clarkson.

Mr. Janoyan will lead the research team. He said the team will review the project's design and once work is finished, install wireless and fiber-optic sensors on the bridge to measure how it handles traffic loads, vibration and temperature changes.

Highway Superintendent William E. Dashnaw said the new deck will be made of fiber reinforced polymer.

"FRP decks are supposed to be durable, long-lasting, and give you some of the positive performance characteristics you don't get from traditional materials," Mr. Janoyan said.

Mr. Dashnaw said the project will also include abutment rehabilitation, and back wall, girder, and bearing replacement. The new deck, manufactured by Composite Advantage LLC, Dayton, Ohio, will be laid on top of the new abutments. The project received $160,000 in federal Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment program funding to pay for Clarkson's research.

"We're the first ones I know of to actually include this research component with a contract for a project," Mr. Dashnaw said. "(Clarkson is) going to be doing a theoretical evaluation of some design options for strength, durability and damage tolerance for the next two years."

The county will pay $98,500 of the project's $720,000 total cost. Federal and state aid will cover the remainder.

"We're working toward not having millions or billions of dollars spent without evaluations down the line," Mr. Janoyan said. "These days, everything has a microchip in it except the things we spend the most money on, which is infrastructure."

Bridge work will begin April 6. Mr. Dashnaw said the span will be closed for about three months.