LONCO, Inc. Staff Joins Engineers Without Borders - USA
Bill Epp, P.E., S.E., President, and Mamta Patel, P.E., Structural Engineer, from LONCO, Inc. Naperville, Illinois office, are volunteering their expertise to the Engineers Without Borders, Canchias Agricultural Bridge Project in Canchias, Honduras. This bridge project is a joint effort of Engineers Without Borders and Heart to Honduras.
Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students. EWB–USA is comprised of over 12,000 members spread over 250 geographically-based chapters that create the foundation of the organization. These chapters serve as the primary meeting place for EWB-USA members, functioning as a forum for members to plan projects and carry out EWB-USA’s mission. As a chapter member, the individuals can get involved with a project, participate in the planning of events, and meet other like-minded professionals and students. EWB-USA chapters are comprised of both engineers and non-engineers alike. EWB-USA welcomes students and professionals from all trades, including: public health, anthropology, geology, business, communications, and graphic design.
Bill and Mamta are participating in the fundraising for the project as well as the design and construction of a bridge (size and type yet to be determined) to replace an unstable and unreliable cable supported foot bridge. This old bridge is currently used by farmers and dairy workers to carry heavy loads from their operations to the nearby town of Canchias. The bridge has proven to be very dangerous. The Canchias Community has requested the assistance of Engineers Without Borders to help them design and build a 120 ft vehicle bridge over the Yure River. The bridge will allow Canchias and other surrounding communities year-round access to the dairy and tilapia farm on the north side of the Yure River. Providing that funding can be raised to cover construction costs, the bridge will be constructed in two stages sometime during the summer of 2010. The Canchias Agricultural Bridge construction is estimated to cost approximately $90,000.