We are proud to highlight Dr. Oguzhan Bayrak's latest contribution to ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine, where he breaks down the recent updates to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and their impact on the "Manual for Bridge Evaluation". His article offers clear insight into how these changes strengthen evaluation practices, improves consistency, and support safer, more resilient bridge infrastructure.

In the Fall 2025 edition of ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine, Dr. Oguzhan Bayrak dives deep into a topic that challenges conventional assumptions in structural engineering: torsional cracking. His article, "A Crack is Not a Crack: Torsional Cracking," explores how torsional effects - often overlooked or misunderstood- can significantly influence the behavior of concrete bridges under combined loads.

In the Winter 2025 issue in ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine, we describe the new beams in our component collection, give an update on the Deck Construction Inspection Program and Concrete Materials for Bridges Course, and provide detail on new research and technologies coming from our projects.

Dr. Oguzhan Bayrak's article "A Crack Is Not a Crack: Bridge Deck Cracking" was featured in the recent ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine. Found on page 18, this article discusses key issues that affect bridge deck performance and is intended to demystify the art and science behind deck design and construction.

Check out the article Dr. Oguzhan Bayrak wrote for ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine.

Dr. Ogzuhan Bayrak answers common questions regarding strut-and-tie modeling (STM) and conventional sectional design procedures in the latest article of ASPIRE - The Concrete Bridge Magazine.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Anca Ferche was awarded the NSF CAREER Award for her project, "Advancing the Assessment of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures: From the Material to the Structural Level."

In early January, CBEI held the pilot course of the Concrete Materials for Bridges Training (CMB-1001). Click the link to see a short highlight video of the course.

Congratulations to Dagoberto Garza, a Graduate Research Assistant, who recently presented his master’s thesis titled, “The Use of High-Strength Reinforcement in Bridge Decks,” and Andrea Campos Sanchez, Graduate Research Assistant, who recently presented her thesis titled, "Investigating Interface Shear Resistance through Slant Shear Tests."

We are pleased to share our new research findings! A recent research report dives deep into application of the strut-and-tie method (STM) on drilled shaft reinforcement in deep footings, curved-bar nodes in closing knee joints, nodal confinement, and crack control reinforcement.