Ralph E. Anderson

Ralph E. Anderson
Ralph E. Anderson (BS 77)
Project Manager
Fehr-Graham & Associates

CEEAA Distinguished Alumni Award, 2012

For outstanding commitment to the advancement and implementation of bridge design concepts in the state of Illinois; for extensive dedication to research in the areas of design, seismology and bridge capacity; for superior technical and administrative leadership as State Bridge Engineer; and for exemplary service to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Illinois.

Biography

Ralph E. Anderson’s interests in engineering were nurtured through discussions with his father, who instilled in him a sense of responsibility to users. The University of Illinois gave Anderson the tools that underpinned his career in bridge engineering and had a significant impact on bridge design in Illinois and throughout the U.S.

Joining the Illinois Department of Transportation in 1977, Anderson advanced his engineering skills by completing a wide variety of bridge designs. He held the position of Bureau Chief of Bridges and Structures for 21 years and sealed over 1,000 bridges as the Engineer of Record.

Anderson served on several national committees addressing issues such as rotational capacity for elastomeric bearings, fatigue resistance for modular expansion joints, gusset plate design and rating concepts, and using elastomeric bearings as seismic isolation. He also represented the U.S. on two international bridge scanning tours to Asia and Europe. 

The confidence in his Illinois education gave Anderson the respectability required at the highest level to shape solutions for our nation’s bridges.