Using remote sensing for bridge condition evaluation

Deteriorating infrastructure has burdened transportation agencies for many years. Bridges continue to age, and funds for the repair and replacement of this infrastructure are insufficient at current funding levels. Remote sensing technologies, which enable non-contact data collection at great distances, offer the ability to enhance inspection and monitoring of bridges. Research is being sponsored by the USDOT/RITA Commercial Remote Sensing & Spatial Information Technologies program, in partnership with MDOT, to create remotely sensed bridge health indicators that can be used in combination with physical inspections for condition assessment. Research is also being conducted on how to combine these measures into a single, integrated bridge signature that can be used as an overall appraisal of bridge condition. This integrated bridge signature is expected to provide inspectors and transportation officials with both a baseline measure of condition and a measure of changes in bridge behavior over time