Institute for Transportation

Timber has been successfully used as a bridge material in the United States for hundreds of years. Historically, most timber bridges have been conventional beam or deck superstructures manufactured from softwood sawn lumber or glued laminated timber (glulam). Since 1988, two legislative acts have been passed by the U.S. Congress to establish national programs aimed at improving timber utilization in transportation structures, As a result, timber bridge research has increased, which is leading to significant technological advances. These advances have been well received, and many bridges utilizing new technology have been constructed.