A Plastic What?

Everywhere you turn these days, things that used to be made of good old fashioned materials like wood and steel are being made of plastic. Now we have...wait for it...a plastic bridge.
The Texas Department of Transportation has just announced plans to construct the first plastic bridge in the state.

Engineers hope to begin construction by fall on a $617,000 bridge to replace a wooden bridge that spans a drainage canal north of Gregory on Farm-to-Market Road 3284.
Unlike traditional bridges with beams of concrete and steel, the new bridge will have beams made with fiber reinforced plastic a combination of fiberglass and plastic. The road surface will be concrete.
After construction, engineers will monitor the bridge for two years, watching for structural damage. The bridge is expected to last about 50 years, the same as a traditional bridge, and will require less maintenance and fewer repairs.
The bridge design was part of a joint-venture research project with the University of Texas and was funded through the Federal Highway Administration's Innovative Bridge Research and Construction program. The university worked for three years to design a bridge that could withstand the weight of a fully loaded commercial truck.