November 11, 2009

 SIKESTON-MoDOT is sponsoring its sixth annual bridge building competition and has had a huge response from high school juniors and seniors in its 14-county Southeast District-26 schools signed-up, with approximately 300 students participating.

The bridge kits were delivered to the participating schools towards the end of September. Participating students were given a bridge kit including 20 pieces of balsa wood, a spool of thread, and a bottle of glue and must design and construct the most efficient model bridge-the lightest bridge to carry the greatest load. All the bridges will be tested at the competition on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Cape West 14 Cine in Cape Girardeau. Doors open at 8 a.m., with the competition beginning at 9 a.m. The event is expected to conclude at approximately 2 p.m.

New this year, prizes will be awarded to the top 10 individual bridge building winners. These prizes were donated by: Three Rivers Community College, the Southeast Missouri State's Physics & Engineering Club, CS Printing, Sonic, McDonald's, Best Buy, and the Southeast Coalition for Roadway. In addition to the top 10 bridge awards, prizes will also be awarded to the winner of the computer-based electronic bridge and for the most aesthetic bridge.

Similar to last year, there will also be cash prizes given to the top three schools that compete best overall in the competition. Any school with three or more entries will be eligible for these cash prizes sponsored by Senator Jason Crowell. In addition to the cash prizes, the top two schools will also be awarded a U.S. Flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol Building-donated by Representative Jo Ann Emerson.

In addition to all the cash prizes and awards, MoDOT has also partnered with Arkansas State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla), University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou), and Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, to offer seniors interested in civil engineering up to $10,000 worth of civil engineering scholarships.

During the competition, lunch will be served to all participating students. Lunch sponsors, and other supply sponsors include: Wehrenberg Theatres of Cape Girardeau, CiCi's Pizza, Rhodes of Cape Girardeau, Coca-Cola, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, and Hobby Lobby.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Southeast Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety will also be on hand during the competition hoping to impart to the high school students the importance of buckling up with its Seat Belt Convincer, which simulates how it feels to be in a traffic crash.

For more information, contact Senior Community Relations Specialist Belinda McMurry at (573) 258-2957, Senior Highway Designer Anita Clark at (573) 472-5292 or call MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).