Bridges: Safe Marvels of Engineering?

Fifty years ago this month, the Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opened to traffic that connected Michigan's two peninsulas.

Since then it has been eclipsed by many other bridges in the U.S. and the world that are even longer. Another bridge became famous on August 1, 2007 when the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour, plunging dozens of cars and their occupants into the river. The calamity disrupted transportation, aimed a spotlight on public infrastructure, and triggered an outpouring of public response.

There are thousands of bridges in the U.S. that have serious structural problems according to recent studies prompted by the I-35W bridge collapse. Teachers should use this opportunity to have students research the complex issues involved in building safe bridges, maintaining them, and financing these activities.

Pathfinder: Click the Topic Guide tab, then type "bridge safety" in the Search box.

Your students will get 92 relevant results to use for their research. Assign a written report of 150-200 words that cites at least three resources. ProQuest has provided several models for you to use for written reports.

Good student reports are guided by essential questions for critical thinking. These questions require student to use multiple resources, critical thinking, and original thought to reach their reasoned conclusions. Here are some examples of essential questions that teachers can assign to students (teachers can create or add their own).

Answer three of more of the following essential questions in the report:

• What are the major economic advantages for public financing of a bridge?
• What are some of the factors used in deciding what type of bridge to build?
• Who is responsible for proper maintenance and repair of bridges?
• What are the most common types of maintenance for bridges?
• What are the most likely structural reasons for bridges to fail?
• Why do we have so many bridges that are rated as structurally deficient by engineers?