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Area home-school students build I-74 bridge replicas

Mississippi bend area agency teamed up with I-74 project managers to teach students how to build a bridge from the ground up.

BETTENDORF-- No one ever said building a bridge was easy, not even the Popsicle stick kind.

"If you make a wrong move the whole thing can just fall down," says nine-year-old Judah Yazvac.

Home schooled students got a hands on experience on how exactly the I-74 bridge is being constructed from ground up.

The Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency and I-74 project managers teamed up to break down the process of the bridge.

"It really touches a lot of parts of the community and it’s good to bring that, share that and look at that through the eyes of a child…it’s a bit of a different perception," says Danielle Mulholland, Iowa I-74 Project Manager.

Instead of using cement and steel, they used Play-Doh, Elmers glue, and Popsicle sticks.

Mulholland says explaining bridge construction to children takes a bit of creative thinking.

"You got to find a way to relate to them and talk to them(...) things they can recognize like a football field or elephants," says Mulholland.

Just like in the field for I-74 workers, these students faced many challenges.

"I know it’s gonna be hard…if you mess up on a real bridge you can’t move pieces around unless you demolish the whole thing," says Yazvac.

These students built their bridges in one class but the real I-74 bridge is still in Phase II completing in sometime 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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