I-95 bridge collapse: U-M expert can comment

EXPERT ADVISORY A bridge on Pennsylvania's I-95 collapsed Sunday morning after a tanker truck caught fire beneath it. A University of Michigan expert is available to comment on why a collapse like this occurs and what the path to repair looks like. Sherif El-Tawil , the Antoine E. Naaman Collegiate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, studies failure modes of built structures through computer modeling. "Bridges in the U.S. are not designed for fire rating like buildings; for example, they typically don't have fireproofing. They also don't benefit from the protection of sprinkler systems like many buildings. So, they are more vulnerable to fire than buildings,” he said. "However, fire on or below bridges is a rare event, and the lack of protection is therefore considered justifiable by many bridge owners given its high cost.
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