The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is bringing new truck Weigh In Motion technology to a busy bridge in Providence.
RIDOT is partnering with measurement technology company Kistler to deploy “the largest Digital Weigh In Motion (WIM) site in the world” along ten lanes of the Washington Bridge in Providence, Rhode Island, in order to “monitor and protect” the structural health of the bridge.
Crews started on electrical work to install the WIM system on September 3, according WPRI.
According to Kistler, “The WIM system includes Lineas Digital quartz sensors from Kistler placed just under the surface of the bridge’s roadway, charge amplifiers to condition electrical signals from the sensors, data loggers to process data in real-time and LPR cameras positioned to identify trucks by their class size and monitor for overweight wheel, axle and gross vehicle weight (GVW) loads.”
“The Kistler SHM and WIM systems are connected to share critical data and paint a picture of the bridge’s overall structural health in real-time. With this integrated data, bridge engineers and analysts can work with data on exact loads, axle weights and truck class to monitor the weight of trucks going across the bridge, as well as multiple measurements that assess the loads on the bridge structure to assess predictive maintenance requirements or be alerted to the need for emergency repairs,” the company said.
Kistler did not provide information on when the WIM installation project will be completed.
“With Kistler’s Digital Weigh In Motion sensors, we have the ability to hear and interpret every sound, even nearly inaudible sounds, emitted from a bridge that signal structural distress. This will enable us to work with RIDOT to proactively monitor the bridge’s structural health in real-time so they can take action to preserve this vital structure,” said JT Kirkpatrick, head of sales, Traffic Solutions, Kistler.
RIDOT is currently at work replacing a portion of the Washington Bridge. A span is being removed and additional lanes have been added to the remaining span to help keep traffic moving across the bridge. Kistler says that the WIM technology will help officials keep an eye on the structural integrity of the remaining span while the replacement span is under construction.
In August 2024, Rhode Island officials filed a lawsuit against 13 companies that provided design, construction, and inspection services to the Washington Bridge, seeking to hold them accountable for the emergency closure that occurred in December 2023 due to structural issues.
Prior to the structural issue, RIDOT said that the Washington Bridge carried more than 96,000 vehicles per day and was one of the busiest sections of Interstate highway in Rhode Island.