Innovative bridge over Sugar Creek

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Fiberglass beams and a polymer composite decking are replacing a 50-year-old concrete bridge on County Road 900 east. 

The bridge will go over Sugar Creek near Colburn.  This is the first bridge in the state built from the innovative materials.

Site Engineer Michael Peterson said weather and traffic will not corrode the new polymer composite surface. Because the bridge had prefabricated components, he said it's much easier to construct in a short period of time.

CEO Dan Richards said this bridge will have a longer life-span.

"There are a lot of pluses to a light weight bridge and material that doesn't corrode. Estimates are from 75 to 100 years, that they are going to last without maintenance. That's a real plus for the infrastructure in the United States now," said Richards.

The composite bridge is expected to open to traffic in early December.

The $600,000 project will be funded mostly through a federal grant for innovative construction materials. Tippecanoe County paid $150,000 from its bridge fund.

Purdue University graduate students and professors from the civil engineering department, helped test structure materials.

Zellcomp, Inc. of Durham, North Carolina manufactured the materials.