Chengdu, Sichuan Releases "Technical Guidelines for Urban Bridge Health Monitoring Systems"​

Bridges play a vital role in ensuring smooth regional transportation and fostering socio-economic development. In recent years, frequent bridge safety incidents have underscored the importance of monitoring and assessing bridge health. With the growing emphasis on structural safety risk prevention and under policy guidance from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other authorities, cities across China are actively advancing the construction of bridge health monitoring systems.

To standardize the development of urban bridge health monitoring systems, address the lack of unified industry standards, difficulties in data sharing, and low utilization of monitoring data, the Chengdu Urban Management Committee of Sichuan Province organized the Municipal Road and Bridge Supervision Service Center to compile the Technical Guidelines for Urban Bridge Health Monitoring Systems(hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines), which were recently released.

Establishing a "1+N" Framework with Scientific Classification

The Guidelinesprimarily cover bridge safety risk analysis, system monitoring indicator design, system implementation, operation and maintenance, monitoring applications, and data management. They are characterized by their pioneering, forward-looking, targeted, original, practical, and systematic approach.

Currently, smart bridge management platforms are evolving from localized, single-point monitoring to citywide integrated management, covering thousands of bridges. In line with the "unified network management" concept for urban operations, the Guidelinespropose a "1+N" framework:

•"1" refers to a city-level bridge health monitoring platform.

•"N" refers to bridge health monitoring systems built by district (county) governments and other entities.

These systems achieve "individual bridge monitoring, networked operation" through data exchange and program interfaces.

Given the unique and complex nature of each bridge, monitoring systems vary in scale and level. To ensure scientific and precise implementation, the Guidelinesclassify monitoring systems into three categories based on objectives, scale, and complexity:

•Class A: Comprehensive integrated monitoring systems

•Class B: Target-specific monitoring systems

•Class C: Emergency monitoring systems

Clarifying Overall Requirements and Refining Indicator Systems

Like humans, bridges have a lifespan. With the increasing adoption of lifecycle design principles, incorporating health monitoring during construction has become an industry consensus. The Guidelinesoutline overall requirements for bridges in Chengdu during both construction and operation phases, clarifying which bridges need monitoring systems and the general strategy for system development.

Chengdu faces significant risks such as heavy traffic loads, frequent construction near bridges, and earthquake threats. The Guidelinesidentify specific risks for different bridge types—including simply supported beam bridges, continuous beam (rigid-frame) bridges, deck arch bridges, through/half-through (suspension rod) arch bridges, and cable-stayed bridges—covering all structural forms in Chengdu and establishing a comprehensive safety risk indicator system.

Enhancing Monitoring Applications and Maximizing Data Value

Bridge health monitoring systems generate massive, accurate, and comprehensive data, but extracting actionable insights remains a challenge. The Guidelinesfocus on the core aspects of bridge monitoring, detailing data analysis methods, effective data utilization, and emergency management for events like earthquakes.

An official stated that the Guidelinesfill a gap in Chengdu’s technical standards for urban bridge health monitoring systems. They help standardize monitoring practices during construction and operation, reduce routine inspection workloads, improve monitoring accuracy, and enhance management efficiency and public service quality.

By providing reliable data, the system enables timely maintenance, ensuring bridges remain in healthy condition. This safeguards the safety and well-being of Chengdu’s residents, supports a thriving business environment, and reinforces the city’s modernization efforts as a model park city.

Source: China Construction News