Institute for Transportation

The USDA Forest Service administers and implements the National Timber Bridge Initiative, a new program that promotes the use of wood in bridge construction. The program, in its second year of Congressional funding, seeks to improve the transportation network and to revitalize rural economies by using wood for bridge construction. The program has three major components: demonstration bridges, research, and technology transfer. Ongoing activities in the three component areas have resulted in major accomplishments but future challenges and opportunities are great.