Project Overview
The Arctic environment on the North Slope of Alaska and unusually heavy vehicle loading are harsh on its infrastructure, necessitating frequent and thorough inspections to ensure safety and longevity of its roads and bridges. PND has provided comprehensive infrastructure condition inspections for all bridges and culverts in the greater Prudhoe Bay since 2006.
PND’s inspection work under this program covers more than 80 structures, including eight non-redundant steel tension member (NSTM) bridges, vehicle bridges, pipeline bridges, numerous culvert batteries, and multiple instream bridges requiring underwater inspection. PND provides biennial inspections according to rigorous industry standards, ensuring safe operation, prolonging infrastructure life, minimizing operational delays, and identifying maintenance needs early. This thorough inspection program allows our clients to plan for future repairs and/or replacement projects to keep their infrastructure open and businesses operational.
The program’s success depends on PND’s team of experienced bridge inspectors, who carry multiple certifications from the Federal Highway Administration, Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, and Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. With years of experience planning inspections in remote environments and expertise in scaffolding, manlifts, and under-bridge inspection trucks, PND’s inspectors routinely select the most effective access methods, ensuring comprehensive inspections while maximizing safety and minimizing traffic disruptions.
Our Role
- Civil Engineering: conduct routine inspections of critical Arctic bridges and culverts around Prudhoe Bay, ensuring infrastructure safety and keeping the North Slope’s oil fields operational
- Structural Engineering: provide detailed repair and maintenance recommendations to address structural deficiencies
- Coastal Engineering: inspect infrastructure for scour and hydraulic concerns, ensuring long-term durability and reliability
Ensuring Reliability & Longevity of North Slope Infrastructure
PND’s inspection program for infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska integrates meticulous field inspections, comprehensive geographic information systems, and tailored maintenance protocols. At the program’s outset, PND researched and compiled information on all original infrastructure design, modifications, and previous inspections to develop preventative maintenance and inspection procedures, inspection cycles, and checklists.
PND’s experienced inspectors conduct thorough assessments with careful attention to NSTM and underwater elements. We employ non-destructive evaluation techniques to assess section loss, detect cracks, and verify structural integrity. PND tracks the condition and maintenance needs of each asset over time, enabling the client to make informed maintenance decisions. Our detailed reports outline any observed deficiencies and provide recommendations for corrective actions.
Over nearly two decades, PND has ensured operational safety and extended infrastructure life on the North Slope, proactively addressing issues to minimize risks and operational delays. Our dedicated approach has been instrumental in maintaining the safety and reliability of the North Slope’s critical oil and gas facilities.
Structures
biennially inspected by PND
Years
of inspections
