Estimation of the Load Rating of Existing Highway Bridges Based on Bridge Weigh-in-Motion Data

To ensure safety and uninterrupted functionality, bridges are evaluated for live load capacity, including their reserve capacity for future live loads, which informs important maintenance decisions by state agencies. Previous studies have shown that conventional analytical load ratings without bridge-specific information can often result in overly conservative load capacity ratings, resulting in unnecessary load limitation and posting and remedial actions. As such, objective and data-driven knowledge of actual site-specific loads can result in more accurate load ratings and sizeable cost savings. Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (B-WIM) technology is a low-cost, practical solution to transform a bridge into a scale to characterize traffic loads. B-WIMs can use monitoring data collected from nondestructively instrumented bridges to obtain vehicle loading, speed, and type, as well as axle weights and spacings. This project aims to develop methods and processes for establishing a B-WIM program for the Illinois Department of Transportation and utilizing the data from B-WIM for load capacity ratings. Researchers will aim to come up with a system design that can deliver an accuracy within a tolerance range of ±5% with a confidence level of 95% across the majority of outcomes. The project will provide Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) with a comprehensive review of the best practices, a methodology to design and deploy B-WIM systems for Illinois bridges, and a load rating procedure that leverages B-WIM survey data for objective data-driven load rating of IDOT bridges.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $499940
• Contract Numbers:

  R27-269

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Illinois Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Materials and Physical Research
  126 East Ash Street
  Springfield, IL  United States  62704-4766
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Illinois Center for Transportation
  1611 Titan Drive
  Rantoul, IL  United States  61866
• Principal Investigators:

  Mohamad, Alipour

  Fahnestock, Larry

• Start Date: 20240816
• Expected Completion Date: 20270815
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data analysis; Highway bridges; Load factor; Traffic loads; Weigh in motion
• Identifier Terms: Illinois Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01927452
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Illinois Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: R27-269
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 16 2024 10:19AM