EASY UP, NOT-SO-EASY DOWN

The National Science Foundation issued the following press release:

Using new fiberglass-polymer materials, contractors in Springfield, Mo., have just subjected a decaying, 70-year-old bridge to a makeover that was as quick as it was dramatic.

Instead of snarling traffic for two to three weeks while they repaired the crumbling deck, girders and guardrails by conventional methods - laying plywood, tying steel rebar and pouring concrete - the workers used pre-fabricated plates and cages developed by a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported university-industry partnership to finish the job in a mere five days.

The NSF's Repair of Buildings and Bridges with …