John E. Breen
Professor Breen graduated from Marquette University, the University of Missouri and received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He also served as a construction engineering officer in the US Navy, a faculty member at Missouri, for 18 years directed the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, and currently holds the Nasser I Al‑Rashid Chair at The University of Texas. He has received 5 university and national awards for his teaching of structural concrete design. He is a co-author of the Wiley text, “Reinforced Concrete Fundamentals.”
Dr. Breen has made significant contributions in structural concrete research, winning numerous awards including 10 medals for published papers on applications such as slender column design, reinforcement development and splicing, general structural integrity, post-tensioned anchorage zones, segmental bridge design, corrosion protection of bridge decks and cable stays, and bridge aesthetics. He has been a leader and major contributor in the development of design and construction standards for both structural concrete buildings and bridges and was a principal author of the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Segmental Bridges. Dr. Breen has also been a consultant on a number of major building and bridge projects.
An Honorary Member of ACI, he has chaired the ACI 318 Building Code Committee and IABSE Working Commission 3, Concrete Structures. He has been elected to both the USA National Academy of Engineering and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. He has been widely recognized internationally, receiving the FIP Medal in 1990, the IABSE International Award of Merit in 2000, and the fib Freyssinet Medal in 2002. He is a registered Professional Engineer in both Missouri and Texas.
ACI – American Concrete Institute
FIP – Fédération Internationale de la Précontrainte (International Federation for Prestressing)
fib – fédération internationale du béton (International Federation for Structural Concrete)
Economic Factors in and from Bridge Building
Bridges are one of the key factors in land based transportation systems. Bridge technology has developed continuously over the ages. Recent developments in prestressed concrete bridge technology have permitted acceleration of construction schedules, thus minimizing traffic delay costs and permitting earlier opening of revenue producing projects. This presentation will use several case studies to illustrate new technologies and to illustrate the substantial economic impacts and contributions to regional economic development possible.