Bridges on the Verge of Collapse

Guest: Madeleine Flint, PhD, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech  Summer tourists hoping to drive scenic Highway 1 on the California coast will have to take a detour around the popular Big Sur cliffs. It’s there that, during the wettest rainy season on record, mudslides blocked the road and damaged the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, which remains closed until the end of September.  The road itself could take a year to fix. Engineering experts say bridges across the country are not being designed to meet the reality of today’s weather, wear and tear.