Sometimes the numbers speak for themselves. eSPAN140, the free, web-based design tool for short span steel bridges, is saving significant time and costs for county engineers, bridge owners, and state/federal Department of Transportation engineers. Here are the numbers on eSPAN140 since the tool was launched in 2012:

• 3,000 – The number of potential designs considered by a collaborative team of bridge owners (DOT and county engineers), manufacturers, fabricators, bridge design experts, academics, and steel professionals for inclusion in eSPAN140.
• 943 – The number of short span steel bridge preliminary designs developed with eSPAN140 in the United States.
• 57 – The number of short span steel bridge preliminary designs developed in Canada with eSPAN140.
• 44 – The number of short span steel bridge preliminary designs developed outside of the U.S. and Canada.
• 73.9 – The average length (in feet) of an eSPAN140-designed bridge.
• 29.5 – The average width (in feet) of an eSPAN140-designed bridge.
• 5 – The top states using the eSPAN140 tool are Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Indiana.
• 3 – The number of project parameters―bridge span length, number of striped traffic lanes, and road width―needed to receive a customized steel solution for any project.
• 1 – The number of Demonstration Bridges completed using eSPAN140. Read about the Jesup South Bridge in Buchanan County, Iowa, and innovative County Engineer Brian Keierleber, P.E., here.

And the most important numbers for bridge designers:

• 5 – The number of minutes it takes to receive a customized steel solution from eSPAN140. Usually, it takes less than five minutes. 
• 3 – The minimum number of steps needed to receive a customized steel solution from eSPAN140.
• 1 – The number of times that a county engineer, bridge owner, or state/federal Department of Transportation engineer needs to use eSPAN140 before becoming convinced it can be used for other projects.
• 0 – The cost to use eSPAN140. It’s free to use at www.espan140.com. Specific technical questions can be directed to experts at the Bridge Technology Center, which is also free of charge.

Here are more numbers to consider: In a comparison of two nearly identical short span bridges in Audrain County, Missouri―one constructed from concrete, the other from steel―the steel bridge saved over 25 percent on the superstructure and over 19 percent on the total cost of the structure (Read more here).

When crunching the numbers, it’s evident that steel provides a cost-effective solution for upcoming short span bridge projects and that eSPAN140 is the easiest and most time-saving tool for designing them. Get started today.