February 2022
Bridges are critical components of our transportation system, and C.S. Davidson is one of the most trusted names in South Central Pennsylvania for designing, building and maintaining these important structures.
A major advantage of C.S. Davidson’s Bridge Services division is that the company provides the full suite of inspection, maintenance and design. Because the company offers all three, its expert structural engineers have watched a bridge age, so they know the issues which have led to its deterioration. When they create a maintenance plan, they can incorporate elements into the design to avoid that deterioration in the future.
The Bridge Services team includes four licensed engineers and five state-certified bridge safety inspectors. The division is supported by staff from other disciplines in the company for work on roadways, hydraulic analysis and other project features.
The team focuses on maintenance and repair in South Central PA and has developed a particular expertise in ensuring the region’s silty streambeds – on which so many bridges are built – do not cause bridges to be washed out as the streambed erodes.
C.S. Davidson has extensive experience inspecting and maintaining bridges owned by counties, local municipalities and private owners. The company inspects bridges of all sizes – from major structures that run 1,700 feet across the Susquehanna River down to small roadway culverts with spans of just five feet.
“Part of the value we bring is that balanced approach,” said Logan Swartz, technical service manager for Bridge Services. “We see so many bridges, and our inspectors are also licensed engineers who do bridge design work. You get a better design product and inspection product when you’re seeing all sides of the equation.”
All bridge inspection reports come with recommendations for maintenance. Understanding bridge design helps the engineers provide better recommendations, so clients get a higher quality report, Swartz said.
The company emphasizes the value of preventive maintenance with clients, providing advice on which treatments to perform and maintenance timelines to best preserve the infrastructure.
When C.S. Davidson’s Bridge Services division takes on a project, the team adopts a holistic view of the site, known in the industry as a context sensitive approach. This ensures every stakeholder involved is considered – from the municipality or private owner of the bridge to the cars, trains or buses using it, to emergency vehicles which need access to it and services like gas or electric lines which abut or cross the structure.
For example, the company had a project in Glen Rock where a bridge was adjacent to a rail trail and a sidewalk which went nowhere. From the rail trail, bicyclists and pedestrians had a hard time seeing oncoming traffic. Meanwhile, where the road turned to cross the bridge, buses could not make the turn without going onto the sidewalk. So, the Bridge Services team took on the project and improved the sight lines, connected and widened the sidewalk and altered the turn to accommodate the buses, making it work for everyone.
If you need bridge maintenance or service, contact us today.