The half-scale bridge has been erected across twin shake tables in the university's structural engineering and earthquake simulation laboratory. It is believed to be the largest bridge specimen ever tested on a shake table.

Researchers from the University and MCEER (formerly the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research) have been subjecting the 70t concrete bridge to increasingly powerful simulations, building up to two powerful earthquake tests tomorrow.

The testing, which is funded by the USA's Federal Highway Administration, has been designed to study the performance of structures built using accelerated bridge construction techniques. In particular, it is investigating concerns that steel tendons holding concrete boxes together could snap during an earthquake.