Bridge Inspections

Did you know?

There are over 610,00 bridges across the county and almost four in 10 are over 50 years old. Approximately 60,000 — or almost 10% — are considered structurally deficient by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  Over 1/3 of all bridges are in need of repair work or replacement. A total of 81,000 bridges should be replaced. On average, there are a total of 188 million trips over a structurally deficient bridge per day!

While the number of deficient bridges has decreased over the last decade, the average age of America’s bridges keeps increasing. Many of these bridges are approaching the end of their design life. The American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Infrastructure Report Card estimated the nation’s backlog of bridge rehabilitation needs at $123 billion!

With our nation’s aging infrastructure network under constant and increasing scrutiny, transportation agencies, municipalities, and insurance carriers need qualified, experienced engineering consultants to meet the federal requirements to routinely inspect their bridges.

Our premier team of National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS)-certified bridge inspectors conduct detailed, hands-on inspections for both on-call and scoped situations.

We have a broad range of inspection experience on vehicular, pedestrian, and railroad bridges of varying type, size, and complexity, including box culverts, stone masonry arches, timber trestles, steel beam overpasses, prestressed concrete, and large truss bridges.

Sources: American Road & Transportation Builders Association 2020 Bridge Report, American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Infrastructure Report Card.

Insurance Carriers — At some point in time it is highly likely a piece of your insured’s equipment will come into contact with a bridge.

When that happens, you want to make sure your  — and your client’s — interests are protected! Forsgren has assisted many insurance companies in evaluating bridge damage, repair procedures, collision forensics, and claims resolutions. We provide expert testimony, if needed, although we can often eliminate the expense of litigation. Our experienced bridge engineering team is well-versed in the cause and effect of impact, allowing us to efficiently review damage claims and corresponding repairs to determine appropriate indemnity.  As an engineering firm with knowledge of the insurance industry, we can save you time and money.

Categories of Service:

• Field inspection
• bridge evaluation and collision insurance claims
• Analysis and load rating
• FHWA Structural Inventory and
• Fracture-critical members and fatigue-sensitive details
• Bridge scour analysis
• Comprehensive reports
• Historic bridges and structures
• Emergency Response
• Innovative repairs

Clients served:

• Insurers of trucking companies
• Transportation agencies
• Municipalities