AASHTO Journal, 29 January 2016
The Arizona Department of Transportation said it will tap a federal grant this autumn to install information sensors on four Interstate 15 bridges in remote northwestern Arizona, which will provide ADOT engineers in Phoenix with real-time data on bridge conditions.
ADOT said the technology project is funded by a $768,000 Federal Highway Administration grant under that agency’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration program.
The project will let ADOT add structural health monitoring systems to the I-15 bridge, with those sensors providing information on the superstructures. The systems will be installed on two bridges in the Virgin River gorge and two in its outer reaches.
Opened in 1973, the stretch of Interstate 15 connecting southwestern Utah and southern Nevada passes through 29 miles of Mohave County, including the Virgin River Gorge. About 1.4 million commercial vehicles use the route annually.
“The technology made possible by this grant will enhance the safety of the traveling public and help inform Arizona’s investments along this vital corridor,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “We appreciate our federal partners helping to make it possible.”
ADOT said the data flow from the sensors will help it “identify and address problems quickly and decide when the bridges will need major repairs or replacement.”
The sensors will also help ADOT engineers determine when to conduct inspections, which are required at least every two years and involve lane restrictions on vehicle traffic so the engineers can do their work.
“Cutting-edge technology like this takes bridge data to a new level,” Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau said. “The 21st century economy demands innovative tools like these, and they will make Arizona’s highways an even more effective part of the national system.”
