The West Nippon Expressway Company, NEXCO-West USA's headquarters, was recognized as a finalist for one of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering's (IABSE's) highest distinctions, the Outstanding Structure Award (OStrA). The OStrA is presented to the "most remarkable, innovative, creative, or otherwise stimulating structures" in the world. The Award Ceremony was held in New York City on September 4, 2019.

NEXCO-West's Mukogawa Bridge, located in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan was recognized for its distinctive, innovative, and sustainable design. The first bridge to combine the butterfly web and extradosed structure, the Mukogawa provides an elegant and unique solution for increasing seismic resistance and allowing rapid construction. The 1,451 ft bridge was built using high strength fiber reinforced concrete in the main girder webs. The fiber reinforcement eliminates the need for steel reinforcement, reducing the overall cost and the weight of the structure by 20%.

IABSE is a Conference for the world's Structural Engineering community to share ideas and discuss the future of engineering. Founded in 1929, IABSE continues to be the key source of knowledge exchange in the structural engineering community. NEXCO-West remains an active participant in the events organized by IABSE.

NEXCO-West USA is sponsoring the 11th annual Association for the Management and Operation of Transportation Infrastructure Asset (AMOTIA) Conference in Orlando, Florida from Sep. 30th to Oct. 2nd. AMOTIA is an association of private sector transportation industry leaders assembled to better assist the public sector with the management and operation of transportation infrastructure assets.

NEXCO-West USA's Engineering Research Manager, Rei Huttunen, will be appearing as a panelist in the "Innovation Panel" from 8:45 AM on Oct. 2nd to discuss how NEXCO's Deck Top Scanning System (DTSS) can move the needle on current bridge deck top inspection practices. Please come see the Panel and visit us at our tabletop booth outside of the meeting room.

As a member and sponsor of AMOTIA, NEXCO-West USA is dedicated to providing the transportation agencies with faster, cheaper, and safer solutions for their infrastructure inspection needs.