Monitoring of Joint and Bearing Performance

BDI partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to monitor joint and bearing performance on a critical transportation route in Virginia. The team set out to quantify abutment and superstructure movements while evaluating how the bridge bearings performed under everyday traffic and environmental conditions.

To collect this data, BDI designed and deployed a customized structural monitoring system. The team installed laser displacement sensors between abutments to measure overall bridge movement and mounted string potentiometers at girder ends to track expansion joint behavior. Together, these instruments provided continuous, accurate, and remote measurements of structural movement across the bridge.

The project required innovative solutions to address challenging site conditions, including the need to power monitoring equipment with solar energy. BDI developed custom low-power programming that reduced energy consumption while maintaining continuous remote data collection throughout the monitoring period.

By capturing and analyzing bridge movements in real time, BDI delivered actionable insights into joint performance, bearing behavior, and overall structural response. The monitoring results helped VDOT make informed maintenance decisions, improve its understanding of bridge performance, and support the long-term safety and reliability of this important infrastructure asset.