Bridges to Prosperity in the AU 2023 Expo

If you were at AU 2023, you hopefully stopped by the Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) exhibit in the AU Expo. With a physical model of one of their trail bridges, a rebar bender and other tools used in construction, videos, demo stations, and more, it was a great way to bring the work of this Autodesk Foundation partner to life. They announced completion of their 500th bridge during the conference. Read more about it in a recent Autodesk Foundation blog.  

B2P’s team identifies rural communities that are isolated by rivers and then collaborates with local, regional, and national governments to design and build trail bridges which allow people to travel to larger towns and communities for school, work, healthcare access, and more. The ability to travel safely and reliably allows residents to improve their quality of life in important ways.  

From an industry perspective, it’s an interesting example of a connected design-to-make process in a low-data environment. Their engineers start by interviewing residents and convening focus groups to learn what their needs are, building consensus at the local level, then getting buy-in at the regional and national levels. Only then do they start to design, engineer, then build the bridges using locally sourced materials and the expertise of local artisans and construction professionals. 

In addition to using AutoCAD for the design of the trail bridges, they’re also developing a cloud-based tool called FikaMap that combines remote sensing data, machine learning algorithms, and demographic insights to make better decisions faster about where to build. This is an important example of using new technologies to analyze data in new ways. 

Learn more about their partnership with the Autodesk Foundation and the process for creating the exhibit in the Autodesk Foundation blog.