Tools and Technologies

Many techniques used to assess bridge deck condition were discussed at the workshop, with an objective of keeping bridges open. These included the 

half-cell potential method, anode ladder system, 

ground penetrating radar, induction thermography, 

elastic waves, chain drag and hammer sounding 

methods, and impact echo devices. Other monitoring systems included sonar equipment to monitor 

scour and fiber optic sensors to monitor strain and 

temperature. 

Jurgen Krieger, of Germany’s Federal Highway 

Research Institute, provided insight into techniques 

implemented on some of the 38,000 bridges in Germany, 60 percent of which were built before 1985. 

“Bridge inspection and management is very important under these conditions. We have to ensure all 

information from a bridge inspection is used to create the appropriate maintenance program,” explained Krieger. “Bridge inspectors in Germany have 

access to over 2,000 examples of typical damage 

and damage ratings. Additionally, there is a direct 

link from the inspection software to a database offering relevant nondestructive testing methods.”

The Exploratory Advanced Research Program Fact Sheet: Scanning and Convening Activities

Discussing NDE Development

The Workshop on Nondestructive Evaluation for 

Bridge Maintenance was held January 2011, at the 

Transportation Research Board’s 90th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Over 60 attendees, representing the research community, bridge owners, regulators, and policy makers, listened to presentations 

from a variety of speakers, including State department of transportation (DOT) representatives, university researchers, and international experts.

Sreenivas Alampalli of New York State DOT began 

by addressing challenges in implementing new technology, “There have been many advances in sensing 

and information technology that have great promise 

for improving infrastructure management. However, 

there are many challenges to overcome relating to 

technology use, and there is a need for better collaboration between technology producers and infrastructure owners.” Alampalli continued, “It is critical to 

develop national guidelines and protocols for employing a sensor technology in the field for monitoring, 

testing, and evaluating highway infrastructure. In addition, advancement has to be made to incorporate 

decisionmaking tools to assist owners as new infrastructure monitoring technology is developed.” 

Exploring Bridge Maintenance and 

Asset Management

Workshop Addresses Use of Nondestructive Evaluation Tools

Breakthrough Ideas for 

Highway Research

EXPLORATORY ADVANCEDR E S E A R C H

With over 600,000 bridges across the United States averaging 42 years 

of age, annual Federal repair and rehabilitation costs for fiscal year 2010 

were in the region of $7 billion.1 Following significant public sector investment developing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health 

monitoring (SHM) tools for objective condition assessment, a recent workshop supported by the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program addressed the use of NDE as an 

effective and efficient bridge maintenance and asset management tool.

1“Highway Bridge Program: Condition of Nation’s Bridges Shows Limited Improvement, but Further Actions 

Could Enhance the Impact of Federal Investment,” Phillip R. Herr, U.S. Government Accountability Office 

(GAO-10-930T), Washington, DC, 2010, p.2.
Attendees were also given a detailed overview of 

bridge management in Japan, which has over 

150,000 bridges with a span over 15 m (49 ft). Hitoshi Furata of Japan’s Kansai University explained 

the lack of budget to take care of Japan’s aging infrastructure. Ming Wang of Northeastern University then 

explained his research into roadway monitoring using 

traffic-embedded sensing. The project involves implementing state-of-the-art technology into vehicles to 

detect pavement condition at traffic speed, using tireexcited acoustic sensing and tire-pressure sensors. 

Implementing Solutions

Jonathan Porter of FHWA concluded the workshop, 

saying: “Several speakers picked out the severity and 

complexity of the problem—over 600,000 bridges, 

combined with an aging infrastructure, and less money for maintenance. However, all that is a rich opportunity for technology to do more with less, and 

faster.” Porter continued, “It is clear that there is not 

one tool for all problems. The solution will be a suite 

of multiple devices and sensors to build a comprehensive picture. The key is to enable decisionmaking 

and transition technology, tools, and techniques into 

practical solutions and high quality data.”

EAR Program Support

Traditionally researchers have relied on reading peer 

reviewed papers and attending conference presentations to learn about advanced research in their field, 

however the EAR Program seeks new methods for 

accelerating research. It can enable multiple institutions and fields to collaborate on NDE for highway 

structures through a virtual laboratory that promotes 

the use of standard testing samples, fully documents 

research processes, allows for sharing and reuse of 

research data, and provides analysis and visualization tools that can be applied to collected data. These 

types of collaborative research tools have had a dramatic impact moving research from science into applied technology.

Prior to the NDE workshop, the EAR Program 

sponsored a project entitled “Nondestructive Evaluation for Corrosion Detection in Reinforced Concrete 

Structures Incorporating Time-Resolved Thermography Combined with Three-Dimensional Microwave 

Imaging.” The project focused on reducing the estimated $121 billion per year spent on corrosion 

control methods and demonstrated the power of 

collaboration on critical and persistent research 

questions.

Learn More

For more information on the EAR Program and 

NDE, contact Rebecca Curtis, NDE Laboratory 

Manager, at 202-493-3066 (email: rebecca.

curtis@dot.gov) or Hamid Ghasemi, Long-Term 

Bridge Performance Program Manager, at 202-

493-3042 (email: hamid.ghasemi@dot.gov).

Publication No. 

FHWA-HRT-11-052

HRTM-04/05-11(1M)E

Exploring Bridge Maintenance and Asset Management 

Workshop Addresses Use of Nondestructive Evaluation Tools

What Is the Exploratory Advanced 

Research Program?

FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research 

(EAR) Program focuses on long-term, 

high-risk research with a high payoff potential. The program addresses underlying 

gaps faced by applied highway research 

programs, anticipates emerging issues 

with national implications, and reflects 

broad transportation industry goals and 

objectives. 

To learn more about the EAR Program, 

visit the Exploratory Advanced Research 

Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch. The site features information 

on research solicitations, updates on ongoing research, links to published materials, summaries of past EAR Program 

events, and details on upcoming events. 

For additional information, contact David 

Kuehn at FHWA, 202-493-3414 (email: 

david.kuehn@fhwa.dot.gov), or Terry 

Halkyard at FHWA, 202-493-3467 

(email: terry.halkyard@fhwa.dot.gov).

Photo credit, other side:

Federal Highway Administration