Bridge Assessment / Engineering / Rehab
Connecting people, places, and commerce around and over obstacles of all kinds, bridges enable safer, more convenient passage. With the average age of America’s bridges reaching 43 years, maintaining your structures is now more vital than ever to keep the country moving.
When it comes to designing, replacing, or rehabilitating bridges, you have a lot to think about: age, congestion, soaring construction costs, lack of funds for maintenance—the list goes on. What is the most cost-effective structure type? What design is the most constructible? How can you minimize impacts on traffic during construction? For bridge rehabilitation, what are the issues with the existing structure? What options would best address the deficient conditions? Are the deficiencies structural (deck, girders, piers, abutments) or functional (inadequate lane widths, trails, etc.)? And if the bridge is historic, how do you work through the historical review process?
With so many questions, you need a trusted consultant who has the answers.
Bridging the Gaps
Hundreds of bridges across the U.S. bear our seal: highway interchanges, river and stream crossings, railroad structures, light rail bridges, and pedestrian walkways. Kimley-Horn’s multi-disciplinary expertise spans both roadway and bridge engineering, successfully integrating the full range of your project’s demands—from planning and surveying through design and construction administration.
Pedestrian Bridges
From timber boardwalks/bridges to pre-engineered steel trusses and concrete girder bridges with decorative railings, we have designed trail/pedestrian bridges throughout the country that encompass all types of structures.
Bridge Rehabilitation
Kimley-Horn has been involved with the rehabilitation of many bridges, including work on historic bridges. Whether you need concrete repairs to substructures and superstructures, deck replacement and overlay, bridge widening, bridge jacking and bearing replacement, or pier and girder strengthening—we’ve got you covered.
Bridge Inspections and Load Rating
Our staff has inspected and rated hundreds of bridges throughout the country. Your inspections will be performed by NBIS-certified inspectors and ratings performed using the AASHTOware BrR and specialty software for complex bridges. Our team has experience rating for special loadings such as aircraft, freight rail, and light rail vehicles.
Bridge Visual Quality
Working with our landscape architects, our bridge designers have designed bridges that incorporate aesthetic elements to enhance the experience of the users and the travelling public. Inspirations for designs can come from local surroundings, the history of the area, a corridor theme, or a combination of these. We have expertise using a variety of visual quality elements including decorative railings, concrete formliners and rustication patterns, color for the structural elements, lighting, decorative pavement, and pedestrian overlooks.
Our experienced staff has already encountered and surmounted just about every challenge your project could throw at us. So, go ahead. Challenge us. We’re ready. We have a simple philosophy of bridge engineering: foresee the challenges, find the solutions, and meet your expectations to ensure a successful project.