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Memorial Tributes Volume 16 (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

JAMES E. ROBERTS
Pages 262-267

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 263...
... Jim Roberts held a number of significant engineering titles throughout his 50-plus-year career, including state bridge engineer for California and chief deputy director for the California Department of Transportation. He was a leader during the state's highway and bridge construction boom in the 1950s and 1960s.
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From page 264...
... The design standards of the time did not fully address many of the structural issues presented by this particular bridge. Research was under way nationally on curved steel girders with spans as long as 150 feet, but these lengths were substantially shorter than the planned spans on this bridge.
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From page 265...
... That bridge utilized the same materials that were already in Roberts's partially constructed Tuolumne River Bridge. With flooding of the valley imminent, the design team feverishly worked out extensive field modifications to the fracture-critical girders while lawyers for the state and the steel fabricator argued over liability.
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From page 266...
... Because California has historically been on the cutting edge of bridge design, his leadership made not only California's roads and bridges safer but also much of the nation's. Roberts eventually served as chief deputy director (while simultaneously running the bridge department)
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Key Terms

  • tuolumne river
  • steel bridges
  • river bridge
  • steel girders
  • bridge engineer

  • jim roberts
  • state bridge
  • design section
  • curved steel
  • chief deputy

  • learned quickly
  • computer software
  • eventually served
  • sacramento regional
  • roberts held

  • western united
  • roberts memorial
  • tuolumne county
  • tremendous change
  • light rail

  • failure occurred
  • roberts passed
  • material failure
  • computer tools
  • address bridge

  • bridge analysis
  • team argued
  • constructed tuolumne
  • planned spans
  • design profession


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