Shea Porter, PE
Structures Project Manager, Bridge Inspector
Speaking of out of the way bridges, to perform a bridge site assessment in rural Kentucky, it once took us nearly 30 minutes to drive two-and-a-half miles of gravel roads through four creeks just to get to it. Thatâs my idea of funâgetting out of the office and into the real world to figure out how to make peopleâs lives better through infrastructure.
Today, Iâm a design team lead for the Bridging Kentucky Program. Its mission is to find ways to get almost 1,000 bridge repairs and improvements into construction within a 6-year span. Itâs my role to lead design efforts, plan and orchestrate the staff to make sure weâre meeting schedules. Weâre getting things done ahead of scheduleâweâll do 400 in just the first year of the program.
One thing I wish I could do is to help dispel fears that bridges are in worse shape than they are. Despite some legitimate news coverage about bridges being functionally obsolete, most bridges are not on the verge of collapseâmany are just in need of minor repairs and routine maintenance.
âFunctionally obsoleteâ means any number of things. For example, a bridge may have clearance thatâs too low for tall trucks, or narrow lanes and shoulders, or that it simply is not capable of meeting the traffic demands. But I help find ways to fix it, as well as the occasional deteriorating bridge that may, indeed, be unsafe.
For example, we were once evaluating a truss bridge, and when we reached the abutment, we saw that some of the stringers had holes through the webs. As we looked up, we saw two school buses driving across it. Right away we called the county highway superintendent and recommended they close the bridge for repairs. And that is a constant reminder of the importance of what I do.
Education
BS, 2001, Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky
Registrations
PE / KY, MI
Certifications
FHWA-NHI-13005 Safety Inspection of In-Service Bridges
FHWA-NHI-130078 Fracture Critical Inspection Techniques for Steel Bridges
SHEA PORTER