Ohio Civil Engineering Firm KS Associates, Inc. Provides Innovative Surveying Approach to ODOT Interstate 90 Bridge Deck Replacement Project
Elyria, Ohio (PRWEB) June 11, 2015 -- KS Associates, Inc., a civil engineering and surveying firm located in Elyria, Ohio, is under contract with ODOT District 12 to provide design services to replace the decks of three mainline bridges on IR-90: East 185th Street (CUY-90-2616), Neff Road (CUY-90-2639), and East 200th Street (CUY-90-2674). The firm has completed topographic surveying for the project, an important first step in the project to gather details of existing conditions for use throughout design. KS Associates used a combination of 3D laser scanning and Mobile Terrestrial LiDAR to perform the survey. This approach proved to be an excellent solution for capturing large amounts of data, reducing site visits, minimizing the impact on traffic, and maximizing safety for surveyors and motorists.
According to Mark A. Yeager, P.S., KS Associates’ Director of Surveying Services, “Surveying bridges always presents unique challenges. The detail needed is often located in difficult-to-access areas with heavy traffic — as was the case for this project. The IR-90 bridges carry eight to nine lanes of high-capacity urban traffic, so performing surveying work safely, minimizing traffic delays, and completing the project according to a rigid schedule were critical success factors.”
Another surveying challenging was to capture information that the design team will need throughout the design process, without multiple site visits. This is especially critical for a high-speed freeway, where surveying operations can pose safety risks. KS utilized a static scanner to capture details of the bridges’ superstructures and deck surfaces. The scanner was particularly effective in checking bridge clearances, capturing information on as many as 18 beams at each bridge, which is critical to the design. The survey team then utilized Mobile Terrestrial LiDAR to acquire pavement, sign, and guardrail locations. A scanner secured to vehicle driven at legal highway speeds captured an enormous amount of detail for more than 19,000 feet of freeway and 12,000 feet of ramps and side streets.
Mobile LiDAR data was also beneficial in developing a Maintenance of Traffic Plan that calls for keeping four lanes of IR-90 traffic open during construction, along with entrance/exit ramps near the bridges. It eliminated the need for lane closures and improved safety by reducing the amount of time needed to survey the area.
About KS Associates, Inc.:
KS Associates, Inc. is a civil engineering and land surveying firm founded in 1987. The firm provides planning, design, bidding and construction phase services related to public infrastructure projects in the areas of transportation, potable water, waste water and storm water; site development engineering services for institutional, commercial and residential uses; coastal engineering services; land surveying and mapping services; and 3D laser scanning services. KS Associates, Inc. is a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). For more information visit: http://www.ksassociates.com.
Kathleen Bast, KS Associates, Inc., http://www.ksassociates.com, +1 (440) 365-4730 Ext: 378, [email protected]
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