The fourth annual Bridge Busting Competition is set for Saturday in Plano.
The event will include 4-H members and community residents from DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties. More than 30 teams registered and have been designing and building their bridges since late November. Each will be judged on aesthetics and structural efficiency in various categories, including school, family and youth.
“More than 150 spectators attended last year’s Bridge Bust, and we invite everyone to join us for this year’s competition,” said Jo Ann Britton, 4-H and Youth Development Program Coordinator with University of Illinois Extension. “Come out and support the teams, and learn more about 4-H, engineering and math. Spectators can participate in interactive projects, hear from talented guest speakers, and watch the structural efficiency testing to see which bridge design comes out on top.”
Activity stations will feature robotics, electricity, and genetics. Guest speakers include Yorkville-native Chris Erickson, a senior project manager with Power Construction, and Kyle M. Pearl, a bridge engineer at AECOM.
The event is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension and 4-H, with cooperation from Rural King and the Fox Valley Family YMCA. The competition will be conducted at the Fox Valley Family YMCA, 3875 Eldamain Road in Plano. Teams will check in at 8 a.m., and aesthetics judging will begin about 9 a.m. Bridges will be tested for structural efficiency beginning around 10:30 a.m.
For more information about the event or local 4-H Youth Development programs, contact Britton at jbritton@illinois.edu or at 630-553-5823, or visit web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk/.
