When a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the Eastern Seaboard in summer 2011, it jolted engineers of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) into action. Within two days, agency engineers and a team led by structural engineer Tipping Mar, Berkeley, Calif., were at the Washington Monument, assessing damage to one of the nation's most iconic landmarks. Since then, NPS and its engineers and contractors have worked to tap available resources, leverage lessons learned and expedite repairs. After nearly $15 million of work, the marble obelisk, more than 555 ft tall, is on track to reopen this spring.
Under an existing indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, Tipping Mar mobilized quickly after the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake and brought in subconsultant Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE), Fairfax, Va., to help conduct assessments. While some investigations were conducted inside the monument, WJE also deployed its difficult access team to rappel along the monument's exterior and document damage.