Aging bridges around the world are at risk of collapse. But there are easy ways to protect them

With its steel trusses to clean and an Art Deco tower, the Story Bridge is an impressive sight above Queensland’s Brisbane River. It was named the state’s best landmark in 2025. But more than icons, it serves as one of the important arteries of the province’s capital, carrying over 100,000 vehicles every day.

However, a recent report reveals serious structural problems with the 85-year-old bridge. These included degradation, corrosion and overload of concrete on pedestrian sidewalks.

The findings urged emergency closure of sidewalks for safety reasons. They also highlighted the urgency of Brisbane City Council’s planned bridge restoration project.

However, this example, and much more tragic from around the world in recent years, has sparked a wider conversation about the safety of aging bridges and other urban infrastructures. A simple, aggressive step known as structural health monitoring is helpful.

Many collapses

In January 2022, Ferne Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania collapsed in Pittsburgh, USA, causing injury to several people. This collapse was caused by large scale corrosion and breakdown of important steel components. This is due to poor maintenance and failure to act on repeated inspection recommendations. These issues have been exacerbated by inadequate testing and monitoring.

Three years ago, Taiwan’s Nanfang Aoridge collapsed. Exposure to wet salt water caused the suspension cable to weaken significantly. Six people under the bridge have been killed.

In August 2018, the Morandi Bridge in Italy collapsed, killing 43 people. The collapse was due to corrosion of prestressed concrete and steel tendons. These factors were exacerbated by inspection and maintenance challenges.

In August 2007, a bridge in Minneapolis, USA collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 people. This collapse was primarily due to previously overlooked issues with bridge design. However, it also demonstrated how aging infrastructure exacerbates its inherent weaknesses, coupled with increasing loads and ineffective routine visual examinations.

Technology-driven solutions

Structural health monitoring is a technology-driven approach to assessing infrastructure status. It provides near real-time information and enables timely decision-making. This is extremely important when it comes to managing aging structures.

This approach does not rely solely on regular occasions. Instead, sensors, data loggers and analytics platforms are used to continuously monitor stress, vibration, displacement, temperature and corrosion of critical components.

This approach can significantly improve understanding of bridge performance compared to traditional evaluation models. In one case, the estimated fatigue life of the bridge (the remaining lifespan of the structure before fatigue-induced disorders ranges from just 5 to 52 years or more). This ultimately avoided unnecessary and expensive repairs.

A good structural health monitoring system can last for decades. They can be integrated with artificial intelligence techniques and bridge information modeling to develop digital twin-based surveillance platforms.

The cost of a structural health monitoring system depends on the size of the bridge and the range of monitoring required. Some simple systems cost thousands of dollars, while more sophisticated systems can cost over $300,000.

These systems require continuous operational support for data management, system maintenance and informed decision-making.

Additionally, while advanced systems can be expensive, scalable structural health monitoring solutions allow authorities to start small and expand over time.

Models for proactive management

The design of the structural health monitoring system is incorporated into the design of new, large bridges, such as China’s Sutong Bridge and US Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

But perhaps the most compelling example of these systems is the Jack Cartier Bridge in Montreal, Canada.

Opened in 1930, it shares similarities between Brisbane Story Bridge and design. And like many aging structures, it faces its own challenges.

However, the authorities managing the Jack Cartier Bridge have embraced a proactive approach through a comprehensive structural health monitoring system. The bridge is equipped with over 300 sensors.

Acoustic emission monitoring allows for early detection of microcracking activity, and long-term instrumentation tracks structural deformation and dynamic behavior across critical spans.

Satellite-based radar images add a remote, non-invasive layer of transformation monitoring, and advanced data analysis allows huge amounts of sensor data to be transformed into timely and practical insights.

Together, these technologies demonstrate how well-integrated structural health monitoring systems can support aggressive maintenance, extend the lifespan of aging infrastructure, and ultimately improve public safety.

Brisbane’s advance and more

The current challenges for Story Bridge are serious, but there are opportunities too.

By investing in a suitable structural health monitoring system, Brisbane can lead the way in modern infrastructure management. It protects livelihoods, restores public trust, maintains heritage and sets precedents for cities around the world.

As climate change, urban growth and aging assets put more and more pressure on transportation networks, smart surveillance is no longer a luxury. it’s necessary.

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