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ABI Proves Budget Savings are Real

Utah - June 2016

ABI used their Rapid Automated Sounding system in Park City, Utah proving that a few thousands dollars inspecting a bridge can save hundreds of thousands in repairs.

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With budgets arguably being the biggest challenge faced by bridge owners, good information regarding bridge condition is crucial. Unfortunately, this information can be difficult to obtain due to high traffic and laborious inspection methods. This was the case for 3 bridges outside Park City, Utah, with similar age, construction, daily traffic, and all within 1 mile on the same stretch of highway. When one of the bridges began to develop serious signs of deterioration, all 3 bridge decks were budgeted for hydro-demolition and resurfacing. 

 

Using the RAS system, the 3 bridges were all inspected in just a few minutes. Despite expectation, the condition of the bridges differed greatly. The first bridge had very extensive deterioration, as expected; however, one bridge was experiencing very little deterioration and one had moderate deterioration. From the delamination maps seen below, you could argue that only one of the bridges needed hydro-demolition. Jake Larsen, an engineer at ABI explained, “Until now, it was really difficult to perform thorough inspections of every bridge. Sometimes DOTs have to make assumptions about which bridges need the most help. In this case, the assumption that all 3 bridges would be in similar condition was completely reasonable given that they were so close together and experienced the same traffic and climate.” Having this information enables DOTs to make better budget allocation decisions, cut cost on unnecessary repairs, and avoid large change orders.

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The RAS system can provide objective insight into the actual condition of a bridge. This device is especially useful when trying to evaluate bridge inventories that are large in quantity, difficult to close down, or trafficked frequently. The RAS system can provide accurate deterioration inspections in just a few minutes of scan time and without disrupting traffic. Larsen also explained that by utilizing the RAS system, “DOTs can get a more comprehensive understanding of bridge conditions and will be more equipped to manage their budgets effectively. In this scenario it is clear that money is saved by avoiding hydro-demolition for at least one of the bridge decks.”


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