Monsoon fury road to recovery: Proactive approach to maintenance of bridges required, say IIT-Mandi experts

Dipender Manta

Mandi, September 10

Experts of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, are of the opinion that fortifying the resilience of bridges in Himachal is necessary to protect roads from the rain disaster in future.

“Recent floods in Himachal Pradesh have once again underscored the vulnerability of our bridge infrastructure to the forces of nature. As we grapple with the massive loss, it has become an eye-opener that a proactive approach to bridge assessment and maintenance is not just a preference but a critical necessity. The role of bridge researchers, therefore, has emerged as a linchpin in extending the lifeline of these vital transportation links and mitigating their susceptibility to calamities,” they said.

The IIT-Mandi’s i4s Laboratory, under the leadership of Dr Subhamoy Sen, has made significant strides in bridge health monitoring and employing cutting-edge machine learning approaches that hold the promise of enhancing the safety and sustainability of the bridge network in the state. The researcher’s innovative algorithms can identify potential safety issues in the structure, preventing severe economic and human losses.

Dr Sen said, “Central to this approach is the Bridge Management System (BMS), a digital platform poised to usher in a new era of bridge health assessment. The BMS utilises advanced data-driven methods to consolidate information from active sensors, on-site investigations and Digital Twin models. Its objective encompasses not only evaluating the state of bridges and necessary retrofitting but also facilitating well-informed choices related to scheduling maintenance, extending service life and making prompt decisions about their operation following catastrophic events.”

Collaboration with govt, private bodies

The i4s laboratory of the IIT has collaborated with government and private bodies in monitoring several pivotal bridges in Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla and Kinnaur, including iconic landmarks like the Victoria Bridge. It aims to work towards enhanced bridge resilience and safety with state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies. — Dr Subhamoy Sen, IIT-Mandi researcher