Problem:
The bridges across our nation face serious trouble. Funding
for our DOT's has been labeled as a primary reason for the
decline of the nation's infrastructure. Unfortunately the
I-35W tragedy in Minnesota in 2007 has brought attention to
the deterioration of the nation's bridges. The most recent
issue of "Better Roads" magazine reports that 10.9%
of all bridges are Structurally Deficient. Nationally
this means over 61,000 bridges have structural problems. The
odds of us driving over these bridges everyday is a certainty.
Below are the 2007 results for local area bridges from the
Better Bridges 2007 Bridge Inventory Issue.
| State |
Total Bridges |
Structurally Deficient (SD) |
SD% |
| Kansas |
25,863 |
2,990 |
12% |
| Missouri |
24,017 |
4,419 |
18% |
| Iowa |
24,722 |
4,977 |
20% |
| Nebraska |
15,454 |
2,359 |
15% |
The current methods of Bridge Inspection are outdated and
inaccurate at best. A typical non-destructive inspection is
to remove all asphalt overlay. A chain drag or hammer blow
test are performed to sound for voids within the bridge deck
and a visual inspection is made to look for cracks and other
indications of problems. A destructive test is to core drill
samples of the bridge deck to inspect conditions.
Possible Solutions:
- Continue to perform traditional methods of inspecting
bridges.
- Perform a bridge deck deterioration map using GPR technology.
Results:
- As shown above, traditional methods of inspection are
subjective and unreliable and allow for large amounts of
human error during inspection. In addition these inspections
offer zero quantitative data for comparisons from one year
to the next.
- Construction Solutions offers Ground Penetrating Radar
technology to assess with quantitative data the condition
of the bridge deck. This technology can be used without
the costly removal of the asphalt overlay. Quantitative
data results can be compared from one year to the next.
In addition construction companies that have been contracted
to repair bridges can also use GPR to identify specific
areas in need of repair. This allows companies to repair
specific problem areas with bridges. Ease of repair will
help in the problematic funding issues currently plaguing
many DOT's.
Email Construction Solutions for
our Bridge Evaluation.
*A core drilling of a bridge
deck with delamination (note that in the background you can
see the GPR cart which precisely located this void)
See our Case Studies section for successful applications
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