Improving Bridge Inspections Starts in Design

Regular bridge inspections are key to ensuring these important structures stay in good health. And the design of a bridge determines whether inspector’s access is simple or complex. Before a bridge is even built, designers are making choices that affect inspections throughout the life of a bridge.

HDR inspectors and bridge designers Jason Nauman and Erin O’Malley wrote about the interconnectedness of these disciplines in Bridge Design & Engineering magazine. As bridge professionals who do both inspection and design, they shared their perspective on how choices made in design can play a significant role in the efficiency — and ultimately, cost — of a bridge’s long-term maintenance.

The article discusses common bridge access challenges, solutions and alternatives, with practical examples pulled from the authors’ decades of experience.

“As bridges are replaced worldwide and new ones constructed, planning for future inspections is a key part of ensuring that these structures can be maintained and managed well for decades to come,” the two wrote in the article.

Read the whole article, "Inspection Starts at Design," from the Q4 2022 issue of Bridge Design & Engineering, republished here with permission.