The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), whose Transportation Structures Council helped develop the publication, believes it will encourage engineers to specify FRP in a growing market segment.

“The approval of this first FRP specification for pedestrian bridges opens up the use of FRP to new infrastructure applications,” says Dr Eric Johansen, President of E.T. Techtonics Inc, a US company specialising in the design and construction of FRP bridges.

“The lightweight, maintenance-free nature of FRP and its ease and speed of installation could save the US millions of dollars a year," claims Johansen, who was instrumental in drafting the specifications. "It’s important, too, because it now opens the door for the approval of other FRP specifications in critical infrastructure applications.”

The Guide Specifications for Design of FRP Pedestrian Bridges, 1st Edition, 2008 (item code GSDFPB-1) costs US$20.00 for ASSHTO members and $24.00 for non-members.