Steel Bridge

Each year UDC competes in the Student Steel Bridge Competition at the ASCE Virginias Conference. This gives us a chance to test our skills against many other universities from Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It takes a lot of hard work and preparation, and it is a very rewarding experience.

Overview of Competition

The Student Steel Bridge Competition consists of three main parts:

  1. Timed Build
  2. Lateral Load Test
  3. Vertical Load Test


For the timed build, the bridge begins as separate members that are then assembled by a team of builders in a simulated construction environment. The maximum allowed time for the build is 45 minutes and personal protective equipment must be worn at all times during construction.

Once built, the bridge is sent to lateral load testing where 50 pounds of force is applied laterally to the bridge. If the sway exceeds 1 inch, the bridge fails.

Then the bridge is sent to vertical load testing where 2500 pounds of weight is placed on top of the bridge. If the deflection of the bridge exceeds 3 inches, the bridge fails.