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 World's "Smartest" Bridge Opens in Headingley A unique, self-monitoring bridge, which opened in October, 1997 in Headingley (just west of Winnipeg) which features technology developed by U of M based ISIS Canada (Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures). The two-lane, 165.1 metre-long bridge over the Assiniboine River includes unique fibre-optic sensors embedded in the concrete that feed information to computers that monitor the bridge in "real time" and can report back on the bridge's performance. The new bridge also features advanced composite materials made of plastic embedded in the concrete to replace conventional reinforced steel. The materials do not corrode and are estimated to be up to one-fifth the weight and up to six times stronger than reinforced steel, meaning that less concrete is required for the structure. ISIS Canada's strides in combining innovative materials with intelligent sensing are at the forefront of an international movement, the impact of which has been compared to the influence of microchip technology on the communications industry. In the past year, this bridge design has been presented at conferences in Scotland, Japan, Switzerland and the United States. Sami Rizkalla, civil and geological engineering, is president of ISIS Canada, which is a National Network of Centres of Excellence headquartered at the University of Manitoba with approximately 230 researchers affiliated with 11 Canadian universities.
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