Contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PRIME AE is performing biennial safety inspections for bridges and waterfront facilities owned by the U.S. Army. These inspections are carried out in accordance with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) and Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC). The specific facilities scope of work includes various types of inspections, such as fracture critical inspections, underwater inspections, scour evaluations, structural analysis, and the preparation of detailed inspection reports.
The facilities span waterways, highways, and railroads, and exhibit diverse designs. They encompass timber structures with timber plank and concrete pan decks, pre-stressed concrete box beams, open girders, reinforced concrete Tee-beams, multi-steel girder and steel beam structures, steel trusses, stone masonry arches, cast-in-place and precast reinforced concrete box, pipe, arch culverts, as well as corrugated metal culverts. PRIME AE utilizes various access methods including ladders, waders, man-lifts, and under-bridge inspection vehicles such as rail-mounted cranes and traffic control measures are implemented with safety in mind.
Our responsibilities extend beyond inspections. Our team handles the coordination of schedules, considering firing range and railroad schedules, and also manage equipment and traffic control arrangements with vendors. In preparation for each inspection, a pre-inspection letter is submitted to the Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) for review. On-site work at each installation involves detailed hands-on inspections and documentation of various components, including approach, deck, superstructure, substructure, and channel elements.
In addition to inspections, PRIME AE offers additional services such as rehabilitation, complete design, and the demolition and replacement of bridges. Our team has successfully completed project assignments for over 2,500 bridges under these two contracts.
