Scientists are using satellites to reveal which bridges around the world may be at risk of failure -- and how to catch problems before disaster strikes.
Among the bridges that still rank as high risk, roughly half could benefit from ongoing observations from space.
In a global analysis of 744 bridges published in Nature Communications, Pietro Milillo and collaborators from several international institutions evaluated the condition of bridges around the world.
Their results showed that bridges in North America are generally in the poorest condition, followed by those in Africa.
The team also proposed a strategy that could transform how infrastructure is monitored worldwide by using satellites to track bridge stability and detect warning signs early.
Construction of bridges in North America surged during the 1960s, meaning many of these structures are now decades old and nearing or surpassing their original design life.
Integrating these data sources into a bridge's structural vulnerability score allows engineers to receive more frequent updates than traditional inspection schedules provide. »
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