11. Evaluation Of Bridge Inspection And Assessment In Illinois
Sponsors: Illinois
Transportation Research Center, Illinois Department of Transportation
Objective:
Maintaining, repairing and rehabilitating Illinois' more than 8,000 bridges
in a cost effective manner is critically dependent on reliable inspection
and condition assessment data. Recent advances in non-destructive testing
technology and new technologies for data acquisition and storage in the
field promise to provide not only new and better data but improve the
process. This project explores these opportunities and through literature
review, interviews, surveys, field observation and field-testing develops
recommendations to IDOT for the acquisition and use of these technologies.
Evaluation criteria will be identified and an evaluation methodology developed
in the course of the project.
Background:
Up-to-date, accurate and informative data representing the real-time condition
of the bridges in the system inventory is critical to the effective use
of bridge management systems (BMS). Inefficient data collection efforts
have proven costly over time. New technology for data collection, storage
and transfer not only addresses many of the constraints and concerns with
the existing processes but provides additional condition data needed to
make good decisions regarding the tradeoffs among maintenance, repair
and rehabilitation strategies. Automated field data collection systems,
including hand-held computers, and real-time access to bridge history
by field inspectors comprise some of these new technologies. Moreover,
field inspectors need to use enhanced imaging technologies and wearable
computers in order to make unrestricted use of their hands for inspection
activities. Automated transfer and updating of field data will provide
the bridge authorities with real-time data for the bridges within the
inventory. Finally, non-destructive evaluation provides additional assessment
data not available using visual inspection. These technologies will result
in effective implementation of the BMS and tremendous cost savings by
the DOT.
Products:
Interim reports -Bridge inspection and assessment literature review, results
of questionnaire and meetings with IDOT personnel, results of questionnaires
to other states, on-Site visits to states Final report 