February 28, 2007 – Fenstermaker’s Underwater Acoustics Group received the coveted Transportation Excellence Award in the category of Innovative Use of Product or Technology from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) at the Transportation Engineering Conference closing luncheon held 14, 2007 in Baton Rouge, LA. The award was accepted by Underwater Acoustics Group Manager Ken LaBry.
The award recognizes Fenstermaker’s High Definition Underwater Acoustic work on the Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans. Fenstermaker employs the only mechanically steered-beam, digital, high-resolution scanning sonar systems of this type in existence. The systems, utilizing Kongsbert Mesotech sonar components and Fenstermaker designed multi-axis beam steering, were configured under the direction of Mr. LaBry and the firm’s Underwater Acoustics Group to maximize performance and resolution in brown water environments. This was the first underwater inspection of the Huey P. Long Bridge and part of the Huey P. Long Widening Project, a TIMED Project, put forth by LA DOTD. The purpose of the $660 million project, which began in 2006, is to widen the bridge to six lanes and enhance safety, emergency evacuation, economic development, quality of life and connectivity between the east and west banks of Jefferson Parish. The bridge project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.
The Underwater Acoustic findings provided information on the condition of the piers and established an objective record of the condition of the piers. The recorded sonar data and the translated image visualization served as a baseline reference of the pier and water bottom condition prior to the construction of the bridge expansion project and provided a non-subjective data set for comparison of future surveys.
LA DOTD’s Transportation Excellence Awards recognize special achievement in engineering and construction projects performed by transportation partners. The competition recognizes the “best of the best” projects which exemplify a shared dedication to providing the highest quality in transportation infrastructure to the citizens of Louisiana and the users of state highways, transit systems, airports, ports, and other public works.
About C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates
C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. is a regional company providing engineering, surveying and mapping, and environmental services to federal, state and local governments, the oil and gas industry and private enterprise. Fenstermaker’s offices are located in Lafayette, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, Louisiana and Houston, Texas.