Engineering
Emergency 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 MoreTelecom Tower Foundation Evaluation
Telecom tower owners rely on accurate foundation information to support asset management decisions, structural analyses, and antenna upgrades. When design drawings are unavailable or unreliable, BDI helps owners determine foundation dimensions without costly excavation. For more than a decade, BDI has performed unknown foundation investigations for telecommunications infrastructure using advanced nondestructive testing technologies. Engineers first…
Read MoreRed Cliff Bridge LLT
Red Cliff Bridge is a cantilevered steel arch bridge located near Red Cliff, Colorado. Towering approximately 200 ft over Eagle river, it is one of Colorado’s most iconic bridges and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985. The bridge was completed in 1941 and has required significant repair and restoration…
Read MoreRestoring a Critical Link on the Alaska Highway
When a fuel tanker accident caused extensive fire damage to the Sikanni Chief River Bridge—a prestressed concrete bridge along the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia—swift, expert evaluation was essential to restore safe passage on this key transportation corridor. Therefore, WSP engaged BDI to support the emergency structural assessment efforts following the incident. Our role was…
Read MoreEnhancing Flood Control Reliability at Waterbury Dam
During routine maintenance at Waterbury Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) identified operational behaviors suggesting potential excess resistance in the gates’ trunnion pins. that raised concerns about the performance of the dam’s spillway gates. Given the critical role these gates play in flood control, ensuring reliability of the dam’s spillway gates was essential.…
Read MoreSDOT Bascules
Fremont, Ballard, and University Bridge are double-leaf bascule bridges located in Seattle, WA. All three bridges operate frequently, with Fremont in particular being one of the most frequently opened moveable drawbridges in the US. The bridges also have significant historical and aesthetic significant to Seattle, and are all listed on the National Register of Historic…
Read MoreNorris Bridge Rehabilitation
The Robert O. Norris, Jr. Bridge is slated for replacement beginning in 2028. In the interim, critical repairs are underway to ensure the bridge continues to safely serve the surrounding communities. These repairs are scheduled for completion by September 2026. BDI is proud to support the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in this important effort.…
Read MoreEvaluating the Newark Airport Monorail Guideway
As part of the evaluation of the Newark Airport Monorail Guideway, BDI completed live-load testing, deflection modeling, and a 90-day continuous monitoring program to assess how the guideway was performing under real-world operating conditions. Instrumentation was installed at three representative sections of the guideway, with sensors placed on both the track girders and supporting piers.…
Read MoreStructural Evaluation of I-81 Bridges Following Concrete Repairs
The Virginia Department of Transportation engaged BDI to perform a comprehensive structural evaluation of two twin reinforced concrete T-beam bridges along Interstate 81 in Smyth County, VA — an essential corridor for heavy truck traffic. After a construction contractor completed concrete repairs, including the application of a latex-modified concrete (LMC) overlay to the bridge decks,…
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