Bridge Collapse Detection System in Texas.

The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) installed a collapse detection system on the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge that will detect a span collapse and warn motorists to stop. The system consists of a fiber-optic cable that carries a current under the bridge deck for the 2 1/2 mi length of the bridge. A span collapse will break the current, initiating flashing red lights to tell motorists on the bridge to stop, closing gates at each end of the bridge to keep additional cars off, and sending alarms to the Texas DOT and local law enforcement to notify them of the event.