Synthesis of field performance of remote sensing strategies for condition assessment of in-service bridges in Michigan

The current state of the national bridge infrastructure network highlights the need for solutions to mitigate the evolution of deterioration, but also the need to develop innovative solutions to evaluate conditions on regular intervals. Solutions to this evaluation challenge need to be cost-effective and not interrupt traffic, but also need to align with current assessment strategies for adoption. The concept of remote sensing applied to transportation infrastructure evaluation presents a viable option, as the tools are noninvasive and can be used to provide analogous information to that which is typically collected through standard evaluation practices. This paper presents the results of a field study focusing on the deployment of commercially available remote sensing technologies for evaluating in-service bridges. The selected remote sensing technologies were used on three concrete bridges in the State of Michigan to evaluate the capabilities of each technology and their ability to provide condition measurements comparable to those derived from traditional hands-on inspection practices typical for in-service bridges. Results from the field study highlight that these technologies do provide comparable and even more comprehensive condition measurements in a more efficient manner than standard practice, but also highlights the need for the fusion of measurement techniques to provide a more robust condition assessment