An MSU College of Engineering civil engineering professor has offered insight on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and what it will take for crews to safely rebuild it.
Venkatesh Kodur was interviewed last week by Lansing's WILX-TV News 10 and said the collapse of the bridge - after it was hit by a massive cargo ship - was related to outdated building methods.
Kodur said the rebuilding process will involve construction of protective "bumpers" in front of the bridge. These bumpers will help prevent ships from directly hitting the new bridge, similar to barriers put on a highway or road to protect areas from vehicles.
Kodur said the bridge's reconstruction will be extremely complicated because it will require thousands of workers, including those trained to work underwater.
"It delays the work," Kodur said. "But (crews) will take the safety precautions to keep workers safe."
More on Kodur's interview with News 10 can be found on the station's website.
Related links:
- Kodur to research fire resistant materials in India
- Study on World Trade Center building performance
- How MSU is engineering buildings that stand strong during fires
- Kodur named Society of Fire Protection Engineers Fellow
- Supply chain delays expected following Baltimore bridge collapse
Kodur is a University Distinguished Professor for the college's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He also serves as director of MSU's Center on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics.
Kodur was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency/American Society of Civil Engineers team of experts that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center following incidents on Sept. 11, 2001. For more on Kodur's research, visit his profile page.
Written by Eric Lacy, lacyeric@msu.edu. See more at the Engineering Media and Public Relations page.