Earthquake sensors installed on bridge

Southeast Missourian

A contractor has begun preliminary work on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge to install equipment that will measure the bridge's movement during an earthquake.

Missouri Department of Transportation construction inspector Rick Lamb said the information would be useful for future designs, particularly in this part of the country. He said currently, seismic designs on bridges in the Midwest portion of the United States are based on information gathered from other parts of the country.

"This is something that's been in the planning for quite a number of years," Lamb said. "We're taking advantage of the fact that we have a new structure like this. There aren't a lot structures in the New Madrid fault zone that have been constructed like this."

Instruments will be installed in the bridge's foundation, deck and the two table towers and they'll be able to detect back-and-forth, up-and-down and side-to-side movement. The sensors will be tied to a central source and the information will be relayed via computer to the U.S. Geological Survey. This will provide information about the bridge's performance during earthquakes.

The technology installation is a partnership between MoDOT, the USGS and the Federal Highway Commission.

Shoulders will be blocked off while the instruments are being installed.

MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are splitting the $300,000 installation costs. The USGS is paying for the censors.