Funding Puts City on Map Reprinted with permission from the Southfield Eccentric-Observer, describes how research on new bridge materials supported by the National Science Foundation's Engineering Directorate directly affects life in places like Southfield, Michigan.
Plans call for reconstructing the current bridge, and adding an adjacent bridge.
The second bridge could set a U.S. standard, putting Southfield on the map throughout the country and beyond. That's because Southfield hopes to construct the nation's first composite highway bridge with high-tech carbon fiber material. That material is reported to be lighter than aluminum, stronger than steel, doesn't rust and is used in the American space program and Indy 500 cars. Engineers say this material isn't new, but never before has it been placed in U.S. infrastructure. Only two bridges in the world utilize carbon fiber construction.