During the winter break and early in the spring semester, fabrication was completed at TCNJ’s machine shop. Construction practice began in late February with a first time of almost an hour and a best time of 14 minutes and 25 seconds. This design was fabricated in TCNJ’s machine shop. The resulting structure is a symmetrical bridge spanning 23′-6″ with a 4′ cantilever end, standing 2′-2″ tall, and consists of 46 members and 90 connections. Before the competition, the bridge poster was completed in accordance with the 2026 Steel Bridge competition rules. The competition was held on April 18th, with our performance estimates indicating a construction time of 15 minutes, an aggregate deflection of 2.5 inches, a weight of 280 lbs, and a total construction cost of $18,741,300. At the competition, the team had a construction time of 14 minutes and 55 seconds, a weight of 278 lbs, and a total construction cost of $69,978,900. Unfortunately, the bridge failed the vertical load test and was disqualified from the competition. An analysis was done of the failure, and the team concluded that it was an error during the fabrication of the bridge.
