Pier, footing and abutment inspection, scour assessment, and timber or concrete encasement for DOTs and bridge owners.
Bridge substructures hold their most important conditions below the waterline, scour at the footing, section loss on a pile, damage from a collision. Those conditions decide whether a bridge stays in service, and they cannot be evaluated from the deck. Zion Marine provides the underwater access to inspect, document and repair them where surface access is limited or impossible.
of integral pile jackets, 34 to 60 in, installed underwater on SR 2 over West Chickamauga Creek and SR 52 over the Conasauga River for Georgia DOT.
The operational conditions that lead an owner to call.
River and tidal flow erodes bed material around footings and piles, endangering structural stability. We measure and document the scour condition.
River and tidal currents complicate diving and demand surface-supplied gear and careful planning. We work to the actual flow and visibility conditions.
Steel, timber and concrete substructures deteriorate underwater. We document section loss, cracking and spalling for engineering review.
Vessel or debris impacts damage piers and fender systems. We inspect and document the extent of damage for repair scoping.
Many older bridges lack accurate as-built records of the submerged foundation. We map and document the actual condition.
Substructure inspection should not require lane closures or bridge shutdowns. We perform the underwater work from the water side.
Underwater substructure inspection with video, measurement and condition reporting.
View CapabilityFormwork, concrete placement, epoxy injection and pile jacketing.
View CapabilityChannel and scour-area sediment removal around substructures.
View Capability
Owner: Georgia DOT · Prime: Massana Construction · Locations: SR 2 over West Chickamauga Creek, Catoosa County; SR 52 over Conasauga River, Whitfield and Murray Counties / Years: 2023 to 2024
Massana Construction hired Zion Marine to install integral pile jackets on bridge piles at two Georgia DOT crossings. Our dive crew prepared the piles and set the jackets from work floats, in four jacket sizes, working in cold water through the winter.
Bridge inspection and repair usually has to occur while the structure stays open to traffic and the waterway stays open to navigation. We work from the water side, coordinate with the owner on access and traffic control, and plan each scope around current, visibility and tidal conditions. Scopes are evaluated for flow, access and safety before the crew enters the water.
Project examples tagged to this market in the Project Library.
Tell us about the structure and the condition. We'll help determine the right inspection or repair scope.
