With collapse in mind, Terracon tests bridges in Mid-Missouri

Terracon Consulting Engineers & Scientists in Columbia is busy drilling holes and cutting through rock under bridges, fulfilling their obligation to the state’s Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program.

“We take samples and try to transport them into the office, and we try to destroy them,” said Eric Lindholm, office manager in Columbia and a senior principle with the Kansas City-based firm. “That’s how we come up with the (bridge) design.”

The Columbia office, with about 30 employees, has its own “mad scientist laboratory,” where the team of scientists and engineers tests a variety of materials, including steel, welds and concrete. “One test is worth 1,000 opinions,” Lindholm said.

The decision to take a closer look at Missouri’s bridges came after the Interstate 35 West bridge collapse in Minneapolis a year ago. Federal investigators determined design flaws, as well as added weight to the bridge were contributing factors in the Minneapolis collapse. So far, no problems related to the I-35 West collapse have been found in Missouri, a release from the state Department of Transportation stated. Missouri has over 10,000 bridges that are inspected at least every two years.

MoDOT set a goal to replace or rehabilitate 800 of the most worn-out bridges by 2012. Terracon’s Columbia office is responsible for about 200 bridges extending from mid-Missouri to Iowa.