TERRORIST BRIDGE ATTACKS

Dr. Islam explains how safe the bridges are in the nation's highway system in the event of an explosion or a terrorist attack. Preliminary research from YSU Engineering professor Anwar Islam indicates concrete bridges are not fail-safe in the event of a catastrophe. The research showed that if the explosion occurred 16 feet from the bridge, the force from the blast was not enough to make the bridge fail. Therefore, developing regulations and possibly some type of barricade that prevents cars and trucks from stopping under, on or within at least 16 feet from bridges, may be one of the possible ways to deter catastrophic bombings of such structures. Islam said more research needs to be conducted on the 16-foot standoff zone. He said, however, that he hopes his research will provide one additional piece of the puzzle as engineers work to develop safer highway bridges. Islam's research was presented at a Engineering conference in October and has also been published.