Erosion triggers most bridge collapses, so a Pitt engineer buried an alarm

Michael Rothfuss buried 15 PVC tubes packed with batteries and radios around a remote bridge that spans a small creek in Armstrong County more than two years ago.

He hasn't heard from them since.

Rothfuss, who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, placed the tubes as part of a Pitt RFID Center of Excellence project. It was to help PennDOT improve erosion monitoring around underwater support structures of remote, rural bridges.

Read the full story by Aaron Aupperlee in the Tribune-Review.

Photo: Michael Rothfuss in the RFID Center of Excellence. (Aaron Aupperlee/Tribune-Review)

Author: Aaron Aupperlee, Tribune-Review staff writer