Construction Inspection & Drone Services for the Kenmawr Bridge Replacement

The Kenmawr Bridge Replacement project replaced the aging bridge, which served as a major connection between Swissvale and Rankin Boroughs in Allegheny County and Kennywood Amusement Park. This unique project comprised the construction of a temporary bridge and sidewalk and implemented a short-term detour while the existing approaches were connected to the new bridge structure. The project also consisted of additional lane widening upgrades and new traffic signals.

RIG Consulting Inc. served as the prime consultant, providing Construction Inspection services during the construction of the bridge. RIG staff on the project included a Construction Services Manager, Transportation Construction Inspection Supervisor – 2, a Transportation Construction Inspector – 3, and a sUAS pilot.

As part of this project, RIG spearheaded the testing and use of 4D image capture software Reconstruct. Reconstruct is an image processing tool developed by the University of Illinois. It combines aerial imagery, 3-D and 4-D models, 2-D drawings, maps, and construction schedule into one platform. The project was flown every two weeks, with over 1,000 photographs taken during each flight. The photographs were then uploaded into Reconstruct, which uses an algorithm to stitch the photographs into a 3-D model. Once completed, the model could be accessed by all project stakeholders and by RIG’s inspection team in the field. The use of Reconstruct was important on this project due to the number of community stakeholders and tight project schedule.

The project received the 2021 Award of Merit from the American Society of Civil Engineers Pittsburgh Section.