Research Associate Professor and Constructed Facilities Laboratory Manager Greg Lucier was featured in two separate WRAL stories discussing bridge safety and NC State’s Constructed Facilities Lab.

One story examines the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and the work that researchers are conducting at the Constructed Facilities Lab to find ways to make bridges safer and more effective.

“We want these structures to be cost effective, to be designed in a way that is efficient but also they must be safe,” Lucier said as part of the story. “And they must be safe over their intended lifetime so the safety is not a negotiable part of the design.”

The other WRAL story looks at bridge ratings in North Carolina by the Federal Highway Administration. About 52% are in “fair” condition, while more than 1,300 are rated as “poor,” according to the story.

Lucier clarified that just because a bridge is rated “poor” doesn’t mean it is unsafe and that it might just need maintenance, repair or replacement in the near future. He said the research he and his colleagues are working on strives to increase a bridge’s usual lifespan from 40-60 years to 100 years.

“We’re designing structures with stronger materials, lighter materials and probably most importantly – materials that are not subject to corrosion in the way that traditional steel can corrode,” he said as part of the story.

Watch “More than 1,000 bridges in N.C. rated ‘poor,’ federal data shows.”

Watch “NC State engineering reflects on Baltimore bridge collapse.”