Innovations in the infrastructure industry, particularly related to bridge design and construction and utilities.
Digital twins are part of one of the most important technology trends in the bridge construction and maintenance industries. They encourage communication and collaboration, reduce costs, make it possible to improve designs, and help build better and longer-lasting bridges. Digital twins are becoming central to infrastructure decision-making because they provide current information about development projects, […]
How Robotic Inspections Can Help Increase Safety on Bridge Sites According to a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, there are more than 617,000 bridges across the United States, and 42% of them are a half-century old or more. Many have reached the end of their useful structural lives or are close to […]
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions, which are essentially cutting-edge drones with high-definition cameras and other equipment attached to them, are extremely valuable tools on bridge inspection sites. They are used to collect data, conduct visual inspections, build three-dimensional models, and more. However, they have their limits. These include: It’s often difficult for UAS to reach […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the global economy upside down. Not since the Great Depression has anything happened that’s caused so much uncertainty in people’s everyday lives, throughout the business community, and across the financial markets. Recent legislation passed by Congress may avert an immediate economic and financial collapse in the United States. The main […]
Would you like to have a more thorough understanding of all the structural aspects of all the bridges under your care? How about being able to track wear-and-tear on different types of viaducts, etc. through a single source? Do you want to monitor changes in structural flaws? What if you could get alerts that something […]
Concrete is used on most bridge construction and repair projects. And it’s about as lifeless as anything on the planet. For hundreds of years, bridge builders have produced concrete in essentially the same way. They mix hard substances like sand or gravel with binding agents that hold the particles together once the mixture dries and […]
In the first part of this series, we covered six ways that designers, scientists, and engineers have studied past bridge failures to figure out how to build better structures in the future. Here are six more. 1. Fireproofing bridges At a time when more and more bridges are vulnerable to wildfires, terrorist threats, and destructive […]
Designers and engineers study past bridge issues and failures to learn how to build better structures in the future. Every new design and technological advancement is the result of lessons learned over thousands of years of bridge-building history. From the earliest stone and wood plank structures to today’s marvels of modern technology, every evolution has […]
Funds for maintaining bridges and building new ones are extremely tight these days. Federal and local governments aren’t providing the dollars needed to keep structures in working order. That’s why many municipalities and other organizations that own and manage bridges are looking for ways to make them last longer. One of the best ways to […]
A record number of Democrats is running for president during the 2020 election cycle. Each has his or her own ideas about how to improve the nation’s infrastructure, including its aging — and failing — bridges and roads. They also differ on how to pay for the work that must get done to keep drivers […]