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Multi-hazard Structural Health Monitoring, Bridging Sensing, Data Analytics, and Digital Twin Systems

38^th RI Transportation Forum

October 24, 2025

PIs: Mehrshad Amini, CVE/OCE

Co-PI: Sumanta Das, CVE; Christopher Baxter, CVE/OCE; Aaron Bradshaw, CVE; Vahid Jahangiri, MCE. Paolo Stegagno, ELE; Che-Wei Chang, OCE; Aser Abbas, CVE.

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Background

• In the U.S., the number of "fair" condition bridges has increased, surpassing "good" bridges.
• The number of “good" condition bridges has decreased in recent years.
• The aging infrastructure can lead to unexpected failure, downtime, and safety risk.
• At the current rate of investment, it will take until 2071 to make all the repairs that are currently necessary.
• The additional deterioration over the next 50 years will become overwhelming. 

Source: Federal Highway Administration

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Background (RI)

• According to the 2025 report published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Rhode Island (RI) has a high percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the country:
• ASCE Grade for RI bridges is D-
• The Washington Bridge incident highlighted the importance of assessing the performance of bridges during their lifetime.
• RI also has the second-highest coast-to-total area ratio in the United States (over 675 kilometers of coastline):
• Many bridges are vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surge, and scour.

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Warren bridges are exposed to a 100-year storm surge (RI Statewide Planning Program - STORMTOOLS).

American Society of Civil Engineers. (2025). Report card for Rhode Island's infrastructure: https://infrastructurereportcard.org/state-item/rhode-island/

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Background (RI)

• This data is from SHM, which includes more than 200 sensors to measure the stress and movement of elements of the eastbound Washington Bridge, RI.

Washington Bridge, RI

Source: RIDOT Website

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Objectives

• This project initiates an advanced center for “Structural Health Monitoring, Data Analytics, and Digital Twin Systems”:
• A real-world implementation of a selected bridge in RI for real-time structural health monitoring using advanced sensing equipment and systems (collaboration with RIDOT and GEO-INSTRUMENTS).
• List of equipment:
• Accelerometer and strain gauge
• Water level sensors
• Sonar-based scour sensor
• Vibrating wire piezometers
• Temperature sensors
• High-speed video cameras
• Data acquisition system and cloud platform

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Conceptual drawing for the structural health monitoring instrumentation.

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Selected Bridge in RI

• A study by the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program (RISPP 2016):
• Vulnerability of Municipal Transportation Assets to Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge:
• Barrington and Warren Bridges have the highest vulnerability rate and could be potential candidates.
• OCE Senior Capstone Project 2021-2022:
• Assessed the current risk to the Rt. 114 Warren Bridge (2009 Redesign) from storm surge and sea level rise -> The current design of the Rt. 114 Warren Bridge will not fail due to uplift, vessel impact forces, scour, or wave impact forces.

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Vulnerability score/index

Source: RISPP 2016

Source: RISPP 2016

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Selected Bridge in RI

• OCE Senior Capstone Project 2021-2022:
• Assessed the current risk to the Rt. 114 Warren Bridge (2009 Redesign) from storm surge and sea level rise -> The current design of the Rt. 114 Warren Bridge will not fail due to uplift, vessel impact forces, scour, or wave impact forces.

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Source of original map: RIDOT

Rt. 114 Warren Bridge

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Source: RIDOT Inspection report (04/22/2025)

Rt. 114 Warren Bridge

• Maximum span length: 68 ft; maximum bridge height: 15 ft; number of spans: 4; prestressed concrete box girder.

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Sonar depth sensors (NEXSENS)

FE modeling: e.g., OpenSees

Probe 2 sensors (AD-SIGNVM)

August 27-28, 2025

Educational Integration of Bridge Health Monitoring and Digital Twin (targeting ~150 undergraduate students per year at URI)

CVE 455: Structural Damage Control, Mitigation, and Rehabilitation; CVE 483: Shallow Foundations; OCE 311: Coastal Measurements and Applications; MCE 534: Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring; CVE 498: Civil Engineering Capstone

Proposed Framework

The 38th RI Transportation Forum at URI Memorial Union, Friday, October 24, 2025

• Damage diagnosis
• Damage Prognosis
• Virtual Sensing

AI portal for decision-making

THANK YOU!�mehrshad.amini@uri.edu��Questions? �

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