University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: June 15, 2006

By JEROME O'CONNOR
Reporter Contributor

Highway infrastructure will be the focus of the Fifth National Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways, organized by the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at UB.

The biennial conference, which is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, the Transportation Research Board and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), will be held Sept. 18-20 in San Mateo, Calif. Co-sponsors are Parsons Brinkerhoff Inc., T.Y. Lin International and the University Transportation Center at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

With the theme of "Innovations in Earthquake Engineering for Highway Structures," the conference's goal is to increase awareness of seismic and geological hazards, and to enhance the technical expertise of engineering professionals to give them the latest tools to mitigate the risk of failure or damage to bridges and highways.

Researchers will present 60 papers at two concurrent technical sessions, sharing findings from recent large-scale testing enabled by NEES funding. Code developers will explain the maturing practice of performance-based design and the importance of good seismic detailing, and practicing engineers will offer insights from completed seismic-retrofit projects and the design of major structures.

Some speakers will address the audience from regional perspectives, while others will summarize national trends. Some international authorities in the field also will speak.

More than 30 companies will present exhibitions of the latest technologies and earthquake related services.

In conjunction with the conference, the FHWA will present a workshop on the seismic retrofitting of existing bridges. A special evening discussion panel, chaired by Frieder Seible, University of California-San Diego, will address the topic of multiple hazards.

In addition, two optional technical tours are being organized by Caltrans for the last day of the conference. Participants may tour by boat several major bridges in the area, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project, or tour by bus various bridge sites. Caltrans staff will provide a narrative at each site, explaining the significance and unusual features of the bridge.

For more information on the conference, go to http://mceer.buffalo.edu/ meetings/5nsc.