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NDOT inspects Carson Valley area bridges
On Wednesday, underwater bridge inspectors hired by the Nevada Department of Transportation inspected 12 bridges in the Carson Valley, Minden and Gardnerville areas to evaluate for any potential flood-related bridge damage.
Since last Friday, professional underwater bridge inspectors from Collins Engineers have inspected 38 roadway bridges in flood-impacted areas of the greater Truckee Meadows, including Truckee River bridges from Verdi east to the Fernley area as well as the Carson Valley between Carson City and Gardnerville/Minden.
Using dry suits and diving gear, inspectors dive underwater to visually and manually inspect underwater bridge piers and abutments. Inspectors look for any flood-related structural damage to the bridges, as well as any potential erosion of the riverbed around bridge piers and abutments created by fast-moving flood waters. Known as scour, this riverbed erosion could potentially impact future bridge stability if left unchecked. All of the bridge inspection data will be fully evaluated over the coming weeks.
During and immediately following the flood of Jan. 8-9, NDOT bridge inspectors visually assessed state bridges in the area for any imminent bridge safety concerns. No major bridge damage or imminent safety concerns were found.
These underwater bridge inspections are another measure of safety to check for any potential flood-related bridge damage. Over and above these flood-related inspections, NDOT inspects all bridges in the state of Nevada at least every two years for various structural elements to determine overall condition, maintenance requirements, and to ensure the safety of the motoring public.
In fact, NDOT’s dedicated bridge inspection and rehabilitation program has helped Nevada bridges to be named the nation’s best for the second consecutive year.