Span Climbers Devise New Cable Device To Check Bridges
The five-member inspection team from engineer Burgess & Niple Inc., Columbus, Ohio, used the devices to inspect the cables of the Dames Point Bridges 1,300-ft main span as part of a $125,000 two-year contract. "This was unique due to the fact that we wanted a hands-on inspection of the stay cables," says Scott Hamilton, project manager with the Florida Dept. of Transportation. FDOT plans to repaint the cables of the 25-year-old, 10,645-ft-long bridge and wanted to make make sure there were no deficiencies in the cables, Hamilton says.
B&N designed the device based on bridge plans and site visits, says Mark Bernhardt, director of facility inspection. "Each bridge is unique, so there was no off-the-shelf stuff to use," he says. "We used an in-house design competition for people to come up with ideas."