SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES FOR BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

The Federal Highway Administration initiated a national pooled fund study in 2003 to synthesize technologies for bridge and tunnel surveillance and security. In the months following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) jointly conducted a security and emergency response survey of all State DOTs to help them assess vulnerability and preparedness. The results of this survey indicated that 59% of the respondents had some surveillance capabilities on their bridges. The State transportation agencies and other private bridge owners were seeking options for increasing surveillance and security of vulnerable structures. Yet, they were being overwhelmed by new technologies, and the lack of guidelines to choose between these technologies. The State highway agencies needed better information on cost, effectiveness, design and applicability of state-of-the-art technologies for protecting bridges and tunnels. This paper presents a summary of the completed work soon to be published by the FHWA as Report No. FHWA-HRT-05-082, ‘Bridge and Tunnel Security and Surveillance Technologies.