Tag: Bridge Inspection

What Is Bridge Scour? Why Should You Care?

The most common cause of bridge failures is from floods scouring bed material surrounding bridge foundations. What is scour? Simply put, scour is the engineering term for the erosion of soil surrounding a bridge foundation (piers and abutments). Bridge scour occurs when fast-moving water around a bridge removes sediment from… Read More »

How Much Weight is Too Much for a Bridge? Engineers’ Ratings Have the Answer

In mid-May of 2018 a driver crossing a bridge in the Town of Lafayette in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, noticed something was wrong with the bridge. Town officials quickly saw the problem – the bridge had a major crack in the deck, and a pier pile holding up the bridge had buckled, causing the bridge to… Read More »

Underwater Inspection: When, Why, and How

By Rick Maslyn, CBI Some of the most important foundation elements of a bridge are its least visible – the abutments, piers, piles, and footings submerged under the waterline. Regular inspection, both above and below the waterline, helps to keep aging structures solid and stable. About the Expert: Rick Maslyn, Ayres’ supervisor of structural inspection,… Read More »