March 2011
How Do We Do It? Ensuring Our Clients of Structural Integrity
of Their Investment Part III of III
by an Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
Once we receive the information from an inspection back at our offices, the Team Leader is responsible for updating the schedule and transferring and duplicating report information for duplicate storage and data processing. At this time, the report findings are once again discussed with...

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March 2011
How Do We Do It? Ensuring Our Clients of Structural Integrity
of Their Investment Part II of III
by an Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
Ensuring that the Structural Inventory and Appraisal Items (SI&A) are correct is also part of performing an inspection. All data in the SI&A is reviewed in the field for accuracy and changes are updated and supported by photographs and sketches...

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November 2010
There's No Place like Home by an Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
Prior to being assigned travel to jobs, we are often given the option of volunteering first. I had such a luxury recently, and volunteered to venture to Kansas for a week while doing reconnaissance work for off-system fracture critical bridges. In preparation for this great adventure, I spent some time reviewing fracture critical bridge elements, snake bite treatments, and watching the Wizard of Oz (to avoid the tornadoes and witches).

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October 2010
How Do We Do It?
Ensuring Our Clients of Structural Integrity of Their Investment Part I of III
by a Senior Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
To ensure that our clients receive the utmost in structural integrity of their bridges, Infrastructure Engineers prepares for all aspects, as every situation and structure is different. We pre-plan to ensure all safety requirements dictated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Federal, State, and local authorities are...

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August 2010
Thoughts in the Mind of an Engineer-Diver
by a Senior Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
As the engineer-commercial diver navigates his way through the murky water along the face of the mammoth concrete structure, he shakes off the bitter bite of the 32 degree water. This is after all, taking place in the mountains of Wyoming in December after an early autumn blizzard. One twist to this ice penetration dive...

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December 2009
The Bridge Inspection Report - A Legal Document
by a Senior Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
As bridge inspectors – working out in the elements, traveling on the road, staying organized and meeting schedules – the last thing on our minds is having to explain or defend in court what we just did.  But if a bridge you inspected experiences some sort of unfortunate failure, you could find yourself in just this situation. The notes, mark-ups, sketches, photos, and even that comment you wrote sideways in the margin...

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September 2009
It's Dark in Here and It Smells Funny Too...
Gas Monitors and Their Importance in a Confined Space
by a Senior Inspector, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
There are several different types of gas monitors; some that are waterproof, some that are rechargeable, and some that check for additional hazards in the air you breathe. They all perform a common goal, which is keeping you alive to perform the next inspection and to assure...

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September 2009
A Day in the Life of an Infrastructure Engineer: Braving Alaska
by Jeff Rowe, PE, Vice President, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
A day in the life of an Infrastructure Engineer is seldom what would be considered traditional engineering - and so it was for the Infrastructure Engineers' underwater inspection team in Alaska. Performing work under a contract that the firm has held for six years, the underwater inspection team, led by a professional engineer-commercial diver, was tasked with...

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June 2009
A Ten Step Guide to Becoming an
Exceptional Underwater Structure Inspector
by David R. Reser, PE, President, Infrastructure Engineers, Inc.
Over the course of my 22 year career I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best commercial divers and structural engineers in the underwater bridge inspection industry.  I have tried to learn from each person I have worked with, and teach young engineers when given the chance.  What I have found is... 

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