Digitalizing bridge management can better assist engineers dealing with aging inventory, rising demand, and the effects of climate change. Bridge asset management is a life-cycle process which consists of monitoring, assessing conditions, predicting deterioration, and then prioritizing maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement. Digitalization allows engineers to transform and optimize legacy workflows and automate manual processes through integrated support tools. Researchers Saviz Moghtadernejad, Zoubir Lounis, and Jieying Zhang decided to identify the various tools available, clarify misconceptions, and offer a roadmap for adoption.
In their study “Digitalizing Bridge Management: Current Trends, Challenges, and a Practical Implementation Framework,” the authors explain the often-conflated terminology around digitalization including bridge management systems, bridge information modeling (BrIM), and bridge digital twins and how these technologies can improve visualization, data accessibility, communication, and intervention planning across the bridge life cycle. They urge incremental adoption – from basic digital recordkeeping to analytical decision support, then deeper to BrIM integration with standardized data in a shared environment, and ultimately toward digital twins that incorporate updates driven by sensors and the Internet of Things and advanced analytics for real-time monitoring. This managed transition addresses challenges such as data fragmentation, interoperability, and the organizational effort needed to embed tools into everyday decision-making. Learn more about how digital models and data streams can improve maintenance programming, safety, resilience, and long-term life-cycle outcomes in the Journal of Infrastructure Systems at https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JITSE4.ISENG-2757. The abstract is below.
Abstract
Transportation infrastructure, including highway bridges, are essential for both economic prosperity and societal well-being. Given the considerable number of bridges that each bridge manager is responsible for monitoring and the constraints on the availability of resources, it becomes impractical to continuously assess the integrity of each bridge using conventional approaches. Leveraging digitalization, driven by technologies such as bridge information modeling (BrIM) and digital twins, promises to significantly improve the productivity of the process, while ensuring bridge safety, durability, sustainability, and reduced life-cycle costs. Many stakeholders are enthusiastic about adopting digital technologies for bridge management but often lack a clear understanding of the benefits and how to realize them. This can lead to a focus on implementation rather than achieving defined objectives, which can hinder tangible improvements in practice. This paper provides clear definitions of relevant technologies and offers practical guidance to transform enthusiasm for digital technologies into actionable strategies for their effective implementation in bridge management practices. It proposes an incremental approach to digitalization in bridge management and conducts a thorough examination of the various levels of adoption. In addition, the paper identifies the opportunities and challenges of reaching full digitalization and highlights the transformative potential of digital solutions in enhancing bridge maintenance practices when implemented effectively.
Learn more about how you can benefit from digital tools for bridge maintenance in the ASCE Library: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JITSE4.ISENG-2757.
