Bridges in the U.S. often have hidden issues that aren’t visible to drivers, such as rusting steel, cracks, and soil erosion. With over 624,000 highway bridges, about 220,000 need major repairs or replacement, and 41,677 are rated as structurally deficient. While these bridges aren’t necessarily unsafe, they do require significant repairs. Inspections, mandated by federal standards since 1968, are crucial for safety but only provide a snapshot of a bridge’s condition. Advanced sensors could help detect hidden damage between inspections, but they can’t replace human inspectors. Common threats to bridges include corrosion, fatigue, and scour, which can worsen over time and lead to costly repairs if not addressed promptly.
QUESTION: How might the development of advanced sensors change the way we maintain and inspect bridges in the future?
How quantum sensing could reveal hidden faults in thousands of U.S. bridges
