Transportation
Comprehensive NDE of Bridge Pile Caps
BDI partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to investigate deterioration affecting the Varina-Enon Bridge, which carries I-295 over the James River between Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, Virginia. During routine inspections, VDOT identified cracking and distress in multiple structural elements, including the bridge’s cast-in-place concrete pile caps. To identify the causes of deterioration and…
Read MoreRapid Automated Deck Evaluation of Arkansas Bridges
BDI partnered with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) to perform a comprehensive nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of bridge decks within the I-30, I-440, and I-530 interchange in Little Rock, Arkansas. The project aimed to identify and map deck deterioration, providing a detailed assessment of overall bridge deck condition. To perform a full bridge deck evaluation…
Read MoreRapid Evaluation of 18 Miles of Bridge Decks
BDI partnered with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to perform a comprehensive nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of four major I-10 bridge structures spanning the Reserve Relief Canal and Lake Pontchartrain. Covering approximately 18 miles of bridge deck, the project presented a unique inspection challenge that was efficiently addressed using BDI’s vehicle-mounted testing technologies.…
Read MoreNondestructive Evaluation of Trunnion Pins on Jacksonville’s Main Street Bridge
BDI was engaged to evaluate the condition of the trunnion assemblies on the John T. Alsop Bridge (Main Street Bridge) in Jacksonville, Florida. The bridge’s 365-foot vertical lift span relies on four trunnion shaft systems to support the massive sheaves that transfer loads between the lift span and its counterweights, making these components essential to…
Read MoreRadiographic Steel Weld Testing for Machinery House
AmerCom engaged BDI to evaluate the integrity of structural steel welds fabricated for the Wittpenn Bridge machinery house. Although fabricators had completed visual inspections, they applied a Firetex intumescent coating ranging from approximately 5/16 inch to 1 inch thick before performing any nondestructive weld testing. The coating made many conventional NDE methods impractical or ineffective…
Read MoreUltrasonic Testing Supports Steel Bridge Connection
BDI partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to perform advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) on critical steel bridge connections at multiple bridges across the United States. The project aimed to identify cracking, weld defects, and other internal flaws within steel connection components to support informed maintenance and repair decisions. BDI evaluated steel connections…
Read MoreEmergency Evaluation of Seattle’s West Seattle High Bridge
When rapid crack growth forced the closure of the West Seattle High Bridge in 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) engaged BDI to evaluate the structure and support repair efforts. As the primary connection between West Seattle and the rest of the city, the bridge carries significant traffic volumes and serves as a critical…
Read MoreMonitoring of Joint and Bearing Performance
BDI partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to monitor joint and bearing performance on a critical transportation route in Virginia. The team set out to quantify abutment and superstructure movements while evaluating how the bridge bearings performed under everyday traffic and environmental conditions. To collect this data, BDI designed and deployed a customized…
Read MoreRestoring NBIS Compliance Through Large-Scale Foundation Evaluation
BDI partnered with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to evaluate the foundation configuration of nearly 350 bridges across Districts 02 and 62 as part of the agency’s ongoing bridge inspection and asset management program. Because each bridge carried an Unknown Foundation rating from previous inspections, the LADOTD needed to determine foundation data…
Read MoreEvaluating Unknown Bridge Foundations Across Texas with Ultraseismic Testing
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) contracted BDI to evaluate unknown bridge foundations at 48 bridges across Texas. As part of TxDOT’s bridge inspection program, the project focused on assessing foundation condition and scour vulnerability to support National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) reporting requirements. To gather critical foundation data, BDI performed detailed field inspections and…
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