Burgess & Niple performed detailed inspections and assisted with load rating analyses of six major truss bridges crossing the Mississippi, Calcasieu and Atchafalaya Rivers.
B&N’s inspection team collected gusset plate measurements and documented member section deterioration on each bridge. The largest structure – the I-10 Bridge over the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge – has a 1,200-foot main span and serves as a major link in Louisiana’s transportation network.
Two innovative tools were used to save time and increase efficiency. A long-armed remote camera assembly allowed the team to obtain detailed photos of the gusset plates. These images were loaded into CADD software to verify hand-measured dimensions. Without the tool verification would have to be done manually, requiring significantly more time.
Inspectors also used an apparatus that allowed them to shoot ropes more than 100 feet into the air over the bridge members. This allowed inspectors to quickly set safety lines onto areas of the bridge that would typically be difficult and time consuming to access.