Photo courtesy of Central Artery/Tunnel Project
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Boston This one-of-a-kind bridge in America has twin planes of cables in the 745' main span and a single plane of cables in the back span. The bridge has received six awards for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
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The Final Program is Now Available

Sixth International Bridge Engineering Conference:
Reliability, Security, and Sustainability in Bridge Engineering

The Westin Copley Place Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
July 17-20, 2005

More Information and Background

The previous five conferences in this series attracted bridge engineers from many countries. These conferences were held in St. Louis, Missouri, in September 1978; Minneapolis, Minnesota, in September 1984; Denver, Colorado, in March 1991; San Francisco, California, in August 1995; and Tampa, Florida, in April 2000. All of these conferences were well attended by bridge engineering executives, practicing bridge engineers, researchers, and the bridge construction industry. Much has transpired since the 2000 conference.

The 6th IBEC is co-sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and TRB.

BACKGROUND
At an average age of 42 years, many of the bridges in the United States are currently in need of rehabilitation or replacement, and many more are approaching the end of their service life. Prior to the adoption of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), the design life for bridges was typically 50 years; the LRFD specification requires a 75-year design life. The Nation has 590,000 bridges, including 120,000 bridge-class culverts, and a quarter of these bridges are classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete according to FHWA criteria. Compounding the problems related to an aging infrastructure are increasing construction activities leading to traffic congestion and delays. These unpleasant and unpredictable interruptions are taxing the public’s patience, especially when these interruptions interfere with their ability to reliably plan their travel time. Furthermore, businesses that are relying more on the "just in time" product or service delivery are taking their business elsewhere because they cannot depend on the transportation facilities to accommodate their demands. Bridge systems are needed that reduce on-site construction time, while ensuring longer lasting facilities. With available funding that covers only a fraction of the current rehabilitation and replacement needs, innovative methods and materials are urgently needed to more effectively address the public’s demand to "get in, get out, and stay out."

The public is also expressing more interest in the appearance of bridges, requesting early and continuous involvement to build bridges that complement adjacent surroundings. An additional design priority is the implementation of LRFD, with the 2007 date for its full use fast approaching. Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) tools are also now available, and these may improve our knowledge regarding the performance of the Nation’s network of bridges.

In addition, infrastructure security is now a heightened concern. Bridges and tunnels are the nodes of the highway infrastructure, and as such must maintain their function to allow for the flow of people, goods, and services. Cost-effective countermeasures, including changes to design specifications, are now considerations for both existing and new critical infrastructure.

The above bridge issues are not unique to the United States. These issues are of concern internationally – to bridge owners, engineers, academia, consultants, and industry partners. Attendees will be brought up to date on these issues at this conference.

Less Information and Background

FORMAT
The conference begins with an icebreaker reception and poster session on Sunday afternoon, July 17, 2005, and continues for 2 1/2 days with another 21 sessions. Included is a plenary session with featured speakers each morning, followed by concurrent sessions on various topics up until Noon Wednesday, July 20, 2005. The Monday and Tuesday luncheons will also include keynote presentations. Questions and discussions will be encouraged throughout the conference.

CONFERENCE PAPERS
The committee has completed the review of papers and authors have submitted their final papers. Conference proceedings will be published in English on CD-ROM and will be available at the conference.

The conference will be held at the Westin Copley Place Boston. Make your reservation for the TRB special rate of $192 (per room, per night, plus 12.45% tax) by using the information below. This rate is available until Friday, June 18, 2005, or until the block of rooms is sold out. Rooms are subject to availability and may be at a higher rate after this date.

Free high-speed internet will be available in conference registrant guest rooms. While registering, please be sure to indicate that you are with the TRB conference in order to receive the negotiated hotel rate and free high-speed internet service.

Westin Copley Place Boston
10 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Reservations: 800-937-8461 (ask for the TRB rate)
Phone: 617-262-9600
Fax: 617-424-7483
on-line Hotel Reservations

Directions to the Westin Copley Place Boston

A limited amount of underground valet parking is available to hotel guests at a charge. The prevailing overnight parking fee is $32. Self-park commercial parking is available across the street for a lower rate.

A taxi from Logan Airport to the Westin Copley Place Boston would be about $30; from the Westin back to Logan it would be about $25. The distance is only 3 (three) miles but tunnels have toll fees. The toll is higher leaving Logan, thus the price difference.

Back Bay Coach is a hotel shuttle service that charges $11-13 each way to all of the Back Bay hotels. It leaves Logan every 15 minutes.  Call 617-966-7870 or 888-BACK BAY.

Attendees can also take the subway from Logan to the Westin for $1.25. The Blue Line leaves Logan every 5-10 minutes; switch to the Orange Line and get off at Back Bay Station. The Westin is across the street from the Back Bay station.

• General Boston-area information - www.bostonusa.com
• Interactive map of Boston - www.advantageboston.com/map

• Transportation Research Board (TRB)
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
• Massachusetts Highway Department
• Texas Department of Transportation

• ADSC: The International Association of Foundation Drilling
• ASBI: American Segmental Bridge Institute
• America Concrete Institute
• American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA)
• American Society for Nondestructive Testing
• Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section / ASCE
• The Engineering Center in Boston (TEC)
• Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania
• International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety
• National Steel Bridge Alliance
• Nordic Road Association
• Portland Cement Association
• Post-Tensioning Institute
• Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute
• Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers