Greece acquires “Smart Bridges”

In the final stretch is the competition for a large and original project, in a sector that, according to all the experiences of the previous years, is suffering: the monitoring and maintenance of public infrastructure.

This is the “Smart Bridges” project launched by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

“Smart Bridges” are an action foreseen in the Digital Transformation Book 2020 – 2025 of the Ministry of Digital Governance, which captures the guiding principles, the architectural design of the systems, the strategic axes of intervention, the governance and implementation model and the set of horizontal and vertical interventions that will implement the digital transformation of Greek society and economy with an emphasis on implementation and projects and not just on a theoretical approach.

Through this action, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is launching a decisive step to strengthen the safety of bridges in Greece, especially the railway ones, by introducing a modern system for monitoring their condition. With a decision signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Kostas Karamanlis, the implementing body of the project is the Technical Chamber of Greece (T.E.E.).

The project concerns the “smart” provision of bridge maintenance services in Greece. The project requires the supply and installation of special load measuring sensors / optical fibers that will record the displacement of the bridges in real time using modern technological methods.

This information will be processed through special algorithms that will calculate the strength of the bridges. The project will be accompanied by relevant studies by specialized engineers who will document and scientifically monitor the results.

According to the decision of Kostas Karamanlis, the implementation of the investment should be completed by December 31, 2025.

The project will be implemented under the supervision of the Technical Chamber of Greece.

The TEE has already completed the consultation with competent and interested bodies and incorporates observations and notes, as this is an innovative project for Greece, so that in the coming weeks the project will be announced and there will be a contractor in early 2023.

As mentioned in the TEE documents for the consultation, the subject of the project is the primary control of the techniques and the design of the instrumental monitoring as well as the Internet of Things (IoT) system, the secondary control of the bridges through appropriate modeling of the techniques at the pre-study level, the creation of a “Smart Bridges” Digital Repository and Platform, the procurement/installation in place and operation of the Real Time Structural Health Monitoring (RTSHM) Systems, the carrying out of non-destructive loading on the bridges and the updating of studies, the pilot implementation of the systems and the instrumental structural monitoring of the techniques and productive/guaranteed operation of the systems.

Based on the observations submitted and the discussion on them with the competent bodies, the TEE proceeds with the formulation of the final Tender Documents.

In the National Recovery Plan “Greece 2.0” the project for “smart” bridges is also included as an action and its funding has already been approved.

The invitation issued for consultation by the TEE had a budget of 156,215,200.00 Euros (value: 125,980,000.00 Euros and VAT: 30,235,200.00 Euros).

Also, it is worth mentioning that relatively recently the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Giorgos. Karagiannis, announced the establishment for the first time of an Administrative Authority for Bridges. The Authority will supervise and control the safety of bridges throughout the territory, a responsibility that coincides with the scope of the “Smart Bridges” project, as to date the responsibilities are confused in many cases. In any case, a key issue is the new procedures for the inspection and maintenance of the country’s bridges, with a span of more than 6 meters.

According to TEE president Giorgos Stasinos, who spoke to APE-MBE, the largest percentage of the country’s bridges were built in the 1950s to the 1980s.

The absence of maintenance measures, the aging of technical parts, small design loads combined with the uncontrolled passage of increasingly heavier vehicles, extreme environmental phenomena due to climate change are some of the factors that require vigilance. It is therefore clear that overall supervision is required and indeed electronic, based on modern procedures and direct assessment methodologies (Smart Assessment Procedures or “SAP”).

According to the TEE, with this project that is now being planned and the implementation will begin shortly, the aim is to provide preventive maintenance services for bridges of OSE S.A. and ERGOSE S.A. in various regions of the country, using innovative technologies such as the Internet of Things (IOT).

The information related to the condition of the bridges will be recorded and processed with special algorithms that calculate the response of the bridges and will be available to specialized engineers, who will be responsible for improving the safety level of the bridges and preventing future accidents .

All bridge infrastructure will be equipped with special structural response measurement systems, sensors / fiber optic technology that will measure and record the necessary information, in real time with modern and accepted technological methods.

The evaluation and control procedures will be implemented using modern systems of instrumental structural health monitoring in real time (Real Time Structural Health Monitoring, RTSHM).

The application of specialized methodologies of instrumental structural monitoring, i.e. a combination of documentation – organization and quick valuation, is in line with the practices of many advanced countries and is the most proven method of assessing possible deterioration of the structural health of constructions over time worldwide.

The control condition is the real-time assessment of the structural vulnerability of the bridges under normal operating loads and the clear determination of the maximum permissible limits of passages (maximum deflection control).

In this way, the early prediction of failures (situational awareness) is achieved, the possibility of immediate decisions and measures is made possible (informed decision making process) while at the same time saving of resources is ensured through prioritization of maintenance and reinforcements where really required.

Giorgos Stasinos, president of the TEE, reminds that the infrastructure of the country in general has been taken care of in another project of strategic importance for the country. “The TEE is currently implementing, through cooperation with specialized contractors, the National Infrastructure Register, which is a subsystem of the Unified Digital Map.

The Register will progressively record all the infrastructure of the Greek State, regardless of the responsible body, with geospatial mapping, technical and administrative data, so that we know in advance when it was built, when it was maintained, who is responsible and not to search after a holiday when the need arises “, emphasizes the President of the TEE.

Through the interoperability provisions of these systems, which are now integrated into the procedures, all these systems will enable the State to extract the information it needs for correct decision-making and the appropriate planning of maintenance projects, something that is lacking in the country until today, notes Giorgos Stasinos.

According to the schedule, the project should be completed and put into pilot operation within two years from the signing of the contract, which is expected to take place in early 2023, in the third year it will go into full production operation, while a maintenance period is also planned still 3 years old. The contractor will even undertake warranty and maintenance for 5 years.

It is worth noting that the text of the consultation includes a selection of 170 bridges across the country from the active railway network.

After all, according to recent studies, a significant number of Greek bridges present an increased risk of failure in bearing capacity due, on the one hand, to the ever-increasing traffic loads and, on the other hand, to the aging of the bridges.

As emphasized, given that (a) in the coming years all passing trains are to be gradually replaced with new – more modern – ones designed to transport larger loads, (b) the aging of the techniques is a phenomenon that cannot be avoided , (c) most bridges are designed to older codes with insufficient provision for their long-term durability, (d) many bridges are located in high seismic risk areas and are already stressed by moderate and strong earthquakes, and (e) due to of climate change the expected maximum level for bridges above water barriers is expected to increase significantly, the practice of instrumental monitoring of bridges as described in the project being promoted aims to control their rate of deterioration and their timely and effective maintenance.

In this context, the creation of a network of bridges which will be monitored and evaluated in real time with modern practices, will immediately upgrade the infrastructure sector, satisfying in practice, the central-staff role of the project owner (OSE and ERGOSE, and jurisdiction of HYPOME).

This network will be an innovative and integrated tool with which the state will be able to determine priorities for the best possible management of technical bridge construction projects and to take immediate measures immediately after extraordinary events (earthquake, flooding, impact).

RES-EMP

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