Author Archives: Dan Snyder

About Dan Snyder

Dan Snyder is director of the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA), where he works with SSSBA members to educate, inform and promote the many advantages of using steel for short span bridges including cost-effectiveness, time-saving bridge designs and life cycle analysis advantages. He is a digital marketing enthusiast, appreciating both the creative side of the process as well as the science behind it, and provides regular updates via his Pull Marketer blog at https://www.pullmarketer.com/. Dan can be contacted at dsnyder@steel.org.

Midland County Bundles Innovative Steel Bridge System, Saves Big

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Dan Snyder

By Guy Nelson, P.E., S.E., and Megan Nicolaisen, Valmont Industries, Inc. How do you know it’s spring in Michigan?  Seeing the road change from white to brown; feeling the pavement change from smooth to bumpy and back again; witnessing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Abutments, Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction, Bridge Design Economics, County Bridges, Installation, Prefabricated Bridges, Short Span Bridges, Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, Steel Bridges | Leave a comment

Begin the New Year with a Steel Challenge

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Dan Snyder

The start of a new year — and a new decade — is a good time to take inventory of the way you currently do things and reassess past priorities and practices. If you’re a highway bridge owner, engineer, or … Continue reading →

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Iowa County Engineer to Save Over $100,000 Using Innovative Steel Design for Bridge Replacement Project

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Dan Snyder

If you’re a county/state engineer or a bridge owner, cost is always a deciding factor in which material to choose for your next project. A new design using press-brake-formed steel tub girders (PBTG) is providing a durable, cost-saving solution for … Continue reading →

Posted in Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction, Bridge Design Economics, County Bridges, Modular Bridges, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New Bridge Design Saves Months in Construction Schedule

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Dan Snyder

The town of Roseville, Ohio has a new short span steel bridge in place – the first of its kind in the state, with results that are attracting attention nationwide from county engineers; federal, state and local transportation officials; and bridge … Continue reading →

Posted in Abutments, Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction, Bridge Design Economics, County Bridges, FHWA, Installation, Modular Bridges, Plate Girder, Prefabricated Bridges, short span bridge design tools, Short Span Bridges, Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, Steel Bridges, Substructure Elements, Superstructure, Sustainability | Leave a comment

Increase Your Options, Lower Your Costs With Steel

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Dan Snyder

County engineers, state and local Department of Transportation (DOT) officials, owners and other bridge design professionals have some great educational opportunities coming up this fall to learn about the time and cost efficiencies to be gained from using steel for short … Continue reading →

Posted in Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction, Bridge Design Economics, Corrugated Structural Plate, County Bridges, short span bridge design tools, Short Span Bridges, Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, Steel Bridges | Leave a comment

Improving the U.S. Bridge Infrastructure Grade With Steel Solutions

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Dan Snyder

The 2017 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card gives the U.S. bridge infrastructure a C+ grade, unchanged from four years ago. More than 56,000 of the nation’s bridges were structurally deficient in 2016, and the report claims “the most recent estimate puts … Continue reading →

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Hidden in Plain Sight–the Design, Cost and Maintenance Advantages of Steel Buried Bridges

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Dan Snyder

Sometimes, the best solutions to challenges we face can be hidden in plain sight. A new video released by the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA), National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association (NCSPA) and Big R Bridge invites cash-strapped, time-challenged bridge designers and … Continue reading →

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Life Cycle Costs Matter When Comparing Steel and Concrete Girder Bridges

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Dan Snyder

As a bridge engineer, professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Wyoming, and a member of the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance’s Bridge Technology Center, Michael Barker, Ph.D., P.E., makes frequent presentations on the … Continue reading →

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Turning a Challenge Into an Innovative Design Solution

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Dan Snyder

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” claims a popular adage. But sometimes lasting change comes from a good old-fashioned challenge. One example is when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) charged the North American steel industry in 2009 to “develop a … Continue reading →

Posted in Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction, Bridge Design Economics, County Bridges, FHWA, Modular Bridges, Plate Girder, short span bridge design tools, Short Span Bridges, Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, Steel Bridges | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Breathing New LIFE Into Short Span Steel Bridge Design

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Dan Snyder

It’s no secret that the U.S. infrastructure needs an overhaul, especially for many of its structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges – nearly half of which fall in the short span category. To address this national crisis, the Federal Highway … Continue reading →

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