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Greg Washington and Rene Leon wash the underside of the Snake River Bridge in Homedale.

D3 maintenance partners with HQ Bridge
to clear hard-to-reach debris

Sadly, I’m quickly approaching a time in life where the aid of a long stick is becoming more necessary to reach that sweet spot in the middle of my back needing to be itched – it’s a helpful tool to get the job done.

That’s the first thought I had in relating to the recent work done to clean bridges in District 3. Maintenance crews have partnered with HQ Bridge to use the Under Bridge Inspection Trucks (UBIT) to reach parts of bridges otherwise inaccessible to do some important work.

As most Transporter readers likely know, bridges are complicated structures with several moving pieces. Expansion joints and bearings serve a critical purpose of allowing the concrete deck to expand, contract, and flex as designed. Over time, however, these joints can fill with dirt, leaves, and other debris; that causes a host of issues.

Camilo Serrano, foreman for the Homedale maintenance area, had several bridges in need of a good “scratching” as debris collected on different parts of the structure. The problem was that they were in places he and his crew couldn’t access. So Camilo phoned Rene Leon, a Bridge Inspection Equipment Specialist at HQ and got the ball rolling on making use of their UBIT.

“If we could make use of the UBIT for a day on a bridge, we could get to place we normally can’t reach,” said Serrano. “Rene and the team and Bridge were happy to work with us.”

Maintenance crews combined a water truck and a UBIT to clean out bridges across Southwest Idaho, where several highways bridge the Snake River. This included bridges on US-95 near Homedale, ID-45 at Walters Ferry, and ID-78 in Hammett.

“It was a team effort,” said Serrano. “We had to work out which days the UBIT was available. These bridges are on two-lane highways, so we needed a crew to control traffic with flagging. Then, the maintenance crew could get to work doing their part.”

This work is emblematic of the daily efforts of ITD’s maintenance forces. The idea of spraying out debris in a joint may not be flashy, but it’s incredibly important to the department’s mission and providing excellent service to the people of Idaho. By taking the time to creatively solve this maintenance problem, Serrano has preserved or extended the lifespan of several bridges making critical connections on the highway system.

“Bridges are designed to move,” said Leon, who inspects hundreds of bridges a year for ITD. “If debris builds up, limiting movement, something can break or fail prematurely.”

In additional to clearing the moving parts of the bridge, the crews cleaned up areas that can attract debris inspectors need to check on in their routine visits. Numerous trees were cleared to give inspectors the access they need.

“Multi-span steel bridges have ‘splice plates’ mating girders together using an assortment of bolts and steel plates that need thoroughly inspected for defects,” said Leon. “We have to check these out and make sure everything is in place. It makes our job easier to have those areas cleaned up so we can see everything clearly and become more efficient.”

The partnership between Camilo and Rene will set up a long-term benefit for maintaining our bridges. Rene took the time to train the maintenance personnel how to operate the UBIT. Now, those operators can make use of Bridge’s smaller UBIT – affectionately named Tootsie – for future maintenance work. Rene has previously set up crews in multiple districts with this training, and it’s paying off.

“It really helps us out a lot,” he said. “There are many great people here at ITD and I enjoy meeting new faces.”

Bridge has two UBITs. The other is a newer, larger unit primarily used for statewide inspections. He’s called Kenny.

With two UBITs and a growing roster of qualified operators, it expands the state's ability to protect our investment in bridges.

Mike Benton and Josh Nopens prepare to work on the bridge at Hammett.