Kudos to the fourth-year civil engineering capstone team of Sarah Besecky, Glenn Broderick, Katherine Foley, Gabby Ford, Cooper Hamby, Tim Maxwell, Terence Moriarty and Wyatt Yoder on approval of Phase I of their project. The team is working with Engineers in Action, known as EIA, for the design and construction of a pedestrian bridge to serve the communities of Coilolo and Tipa Tipa, located in Coilolo, Jaime Zudáñez, Chuquisaca, Bolivia.The team's Phase 1 final report was presented to Brenton Krieger, Engineers in Action bridge education manager, on Dec. 7. Kreiger approved the work and the team was given an official notice to proceed to the final design and construction phase, to be completed next semester.
“In the first phase of the project, the University of Virginia students working on the Río Coilolo suspended bridge have shown exceptional engineering judgement,” Krieger said. “The submitted concept design report is a thoughtful and comprehensive assessment of the logistical, cultural and physical site conditions, and their decision making process for key design elements is rigorous.”
Footbridges like the one the team is working on provide year-round safe passage across rivers, even during flood events, to ensure residents access to services such as health care and schools.
According to Engineers in Action, bridge infrastructure results in a 12% increase in children enrolled in school, an 18% increase in healthcare treatment, a 30% increase in labor market income, a 59% increase in employed women and a 75% increase in farm profits.