Comprehensive Rollout of Structural Health Monitoring Systems for Long-Span Highway Bridges​

Recently, the Highway Bureau of the Ministry of Transport held a video conference to summarize the pilot experience from 2021 and outline key tasks for the next two years regarding the construction of structural health monitoring systems for long-span highway bridges.

Last year, the Ministry of Transport selected 11 in-service highway bridges across 10 provinces, including Hebei, Liaoning, and Jiangsu, as pilot projects for system construction. Adopting a "one bridge, one strategy" approach, customized plans were developed for each pilot bridge. The acceptance review for all pilot projects has been largely completed, and the Technical Specifications for Highway Bridge Structural Monitoringwere revised accordingly, achieving the goals of "pilot implementation first, unified standards later."

Photo: Sichuan Daily Media Group

In 2022, the construction of structural health monitoring systems for long-span highway bridges will be fully expanded nationwide.

The meeting emphasized that provincial transport authorities must align their understanding, prioritize the initiative, and strengthen organizational leadership. Special task forces should be established, work systems refined, and implementation advanced in an orderly manner.

Additionally, efforts should be intensified to secure funding, ensuring financial support for system construction. Supervision over the application, review, and execution of vehicle purchase tax subsidy projects must be enhanced, with a responsibility mechanism clarifying that "whoever applies is accountable" and "whoever uses the funds is responsible." This year’s project applications should be completed promptly, followed by unified procurement and testing of hardware equipment, software development and testing, and integrated installation and debugging—all in compliance with design documents and relevant standards.

Moving forward, the Highway Bureau, in collaboration with the Research Institute of Highway under the Ministry of Transport, will accelerate the development of national and provincial monitoring platforms. By the end of this year, completed provincial monitoring platforms and single-bridge systems will be interconnected. Leveraging the national data platform and provincial monitoring platforms, an operational evaluation mechanism will be established to advance the digital transformation of highway infrastructure maintenance and management, ultimately enhancing the safety and durability of highway bridges.