EXPERTISE // PEOPLE

Jeremy O. Wheeless

Senior Associate

 
Experience

Jeremy Wheeless joined WJE in 2018 with more than eight years of experience in the construction industry working as a licensed journeyman ironworker. Mr. Wheeless has been involved in the evaluation and rehabilitation of various new and existing structures. His project experience includes design, rehabilitation, and construction period services on steel and concrete bridges and other civil structures.

Prior to WJE, Mr. Wheeless participated in a three-year ironworker apprenticeship program, receiving his journeyman ironworker license and 3G welding certification from Local Union No. 482 in Austin, Texas. As a journeyman, he worked on various construction types, including structural steel, architectural precast, tilt-wall, and steel bridge, as well as crane and tower crane erection. Mr. Wheeless’s experience as an ironworker gives him unique insight into the built world and provides value to a wide range of projects.

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

Bridge Assessment and Repair

  • Bridgeport Bridge - Bridgeport, OK: In-depth assessment of substructure for repair recommendations and repurposing of the existing substructure
  • McCollough Bridge - Coos Bay, OR: Fatigue crack remediation at steel stringers; removal and replacement of wind chord pins 
  • Jefferson Barracks Bridge - St. Louis, MO: Emergency crack remediation of fracture critical tie girder, magnetic particle testing, and steel core extraction
  • Bridge of the Gods - Cascade Locks, OR: Design and installation of strengthening measures for load-posted bridge
  • Texas Department of Transportation, Paris District - Sherman: Bridge condition survey of multiple bridges for repair recommendations and rehabilitation
  • SH 99 - Houston, TX: Routine inspection of multiple bridges and retaining structures
  • Redbud Island Bridge - Austin, TX: Routine inspection, in-depth inspection, and load testing for recommendations for repair
  • Fremont Bridge - Portland, OR: Fatigue crack remediation at floor beams; removal and replacement of wind chord pins
     

Construction Engineering

  • Spur 280 TexRail Bridge - Fort Worth, TX:  Structural analysis of temporary work for roll-in design of new railroad bridge
  • Arecibo Observatory - Arecibo, Puerto Rico: Development of emergency stabilization system and jacking sequence
  • IH-35 Bridge - Temple, TX: Development of bridge demolition plans
  • SH 130 - TX: Development of bridge jacking plans to facilitate bridge-bearing replacement for multiple bridges
  • Sunshine Bridge - Donaldsville, LA: Instrumentation and construction administration for repair of damaged bottom chord of truss bridge
     

Materials Testing

  • JFK Causeway - Corpus Christi, TX: Condition assessment and nondestructive testing investigation of post-tensioned tendons for repair recommendations 
  • 6th Street Viaduct - Milwaukee, WI: Prestressed strand removal from cable-stayed structure and in-depth assessment of cable stay anchorages
  • Perrine Bridge - Twin Falls, ID: Corrosion assessment of weathering steel, coring, and bolt extraction
  • Ellsworth Airforce Base - Rapid City, SD: Rivet and structural steel sampling for tensile strength testing for retrofit recommendations


Bridge Load Rating

  • Ellsworth Street Bridge - Albany, OR: Load rating of 1925-era steel truss gusset plates, reinforced concrete deck girders, steel floor beams and stringers, and reinforced concrete bent caps
  • Redbud Island Bridge - Austin, TX: Load rating of 1950-era steel stringer bridge
  • Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway - Douglas County, OR: Load rating of prestressed concrete girders
  • Highway 47 - Clatsop County, OR: Load rating of 1939-era reinforced concrete T-beam bridge
  • Harrisburg Bridge - Harrisburg, OR: Load rating of 1925-era steel truss gusset plates and primary truss members
Professional Affiliations

American Institute of Steel Construction
American Welding Society 

Registrations

Certified Welding Inspector 
Journeyman Ironworker, 2001, Local Union No. 482 Ironworker Apprenticeship Program
Professional (Civil) Engineer in OR
Professional Engineer in TX
 

Education

University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Science, Architectural Engineering, 2016
Master of Science, Civil Engineering/Materials, 2018