The Hawkeye UHPC Bridge, made with ultra-high performance concrete from South Korea, made its debut on November 10, 2015, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The bridge is located in Fairbank, Iowa, and was made possible through a collaboration between the University of Iowa, Buchanan County, and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT). The bridge is just one example of how cutting-edge UI research can connect with experts and funding from our global partners, leading to advances that directly benefit Iowans.

It all began with a research grant awarded to UI College of Engineering Professor and Laboratory for Advanced Construction Technology (LACT) Director David Lee, which allowed him to evaluate ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) developed by KICT using local cement and sand.

“Both compressive and tensile strengths of UHPC were about five times greater than regular concrete due to steel fibers and high density,” said Lee. Encouraged by his findings, Lee contacted Brian Keierleber, Buchanan County engineer, to discuss the possibility of building a bridge using UHPC from Korea. Support from KICT sealed the deal, and a productive partnership was formed—not to mention a durable bridge that will benefit the residents of Fairbank, Iowa, for years to come.

Additional media coverage of the Hawkeye UHPC Bridge: Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier