pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

LiDAR, Drones and BrIM for Rapid Bridge Inspection and Management

PI: Yelda Turkan (OSU), yelda.turkan@oregonstate.edu, ORCID: 0000-0002-3224-5462

Co PIs: Paolo Calvi (UW)

AMOUNT & MATCH: $180,000 from PacTrans; $180,000 Match

PERFORMANCE PERIOD: 3/16/2021 – 3/15/2022

STATUS: Completed

CATEGORIES: Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), Lidar, Bridge Inspection

RESEARCH PROJECT HOT SHEET:

UTC PROJECT DOCUMENTATION:

FINAL PROJECT REPORT:

PROJECT DATA:

DESCRIPTION: The mobility of people and goods is highly dependent on the health of a nation’s transportation system. Timely inspection and effective maintenance and management of bridges is crucial in order to avoid any issues that may have a negative impact on public mobility.

However, current bridge inspection practices inhibit the collection and analysis of information regarding the status of bridges in an efficient and timely manner.

This problem is exacerbated by the large number of bridges in the U.S. combined with the limited number of inspectors available. For example, in Oregon, there are more than 6,000 bridges and only about 25 inspectors employed by the DOT, thus requiring a substantial number of subcontractors to carry out the work.

In this study, we will develop a framework that will make it much more convenient and faster to inspect and manage bridges, which can improve the current practice significantly in terms of efficiency and safety, thus helping to improve public mobility.