Real-time Structure Monitoring Improves Condition Assessment and Asset Management
Item #: 20250038
Item #: 20250038
CONTACTS
Implementing Organization: Structures
Implementation Lead: Ari Menitove
Development Team:
Ari Menitove – Innovation Lead
James Corney – UDOT Structures Lead
Aldo Gonzalez – UDOT R4 Survey Lead
Tracy Munson – UDOT R4 Maintenance Lead
Gaylen Dalton – UDOT Panguitch Maintenance Station Supervisor
Ryan Maw – Gerhart Cole (consultant) – original instrumentation design
Darren Beckstrand – Landslide Technology (consultant) – Upgraded instrumentation, Performed manual readings, Performed UAV change detection, Drafted Phase 1 Report; Phase 2 instrumentation.
Article Written By: Ari Menitove
Innovation Council Liaison: Winston Inoway
Innovation Team Coordinator: Winston Inoway
STATUS
Implementation Date: May 1, 2020
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: The techniques used on this project could be applied to monitoring unstable slopes, cuts, and excavations.
APPLIES TO
Topic: Safety and Health
Organization(s): Central Construction, Central Maintenance / Facilities Management, Central Materials, Central Preconstruction, Environmental Division, Performance and Asset Management, Railroad, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Risk Management, Structures, Traffic and Safety, Traffic Management Division, Transit and Trails
Job Role(s): Construction Engineer, Materials Engineer, Program Director, Program Manager, Program Specialist, Roadway Operations / IMT, Transportation Technician
Tags: highway transportation, infrastructure preservation, labor costs, employee empowerment, political factors, value of life, value of time, inspection, products, tracking systems, remote, risk management, insurance, drones ( UAS, UAV ), civil engineering, geology, asset management, construction, design, inspection, maintenance, planning, structures, testing > samples, sampling, traffic safety > highway safety, trucking safety, pavement, sensor, tunnel, arch, scenic, historic, instrument, monitor, bridge, culvert, cut, structures, environmental quality > pollution > air, noise, quality of life, user benefits, ( connected communities )
After numerous vehicle hits, shotcrete spalling, and questions about long-term stability, UDOT Structures recognized the need to monitor the condition of Miscellaneous Structures V-55 and V-56, which are historic and scenic 100-year-old rock arch tunnels along SR-12 between Panguitch and Bryce Canyon National Park. These unique structures could not be evaluated per standard procedures used to evaluate the conditions of other assets, such as pavement, bridges, or culverts.
UDOT Structures, Geotechnical Design, and Region Four Survey, with significant assistance from two consultants, developed a monitoring procedure using a combination of electronic and manual instrumentation installed directly onto the tunnels. This is supplemented by change detection analyses run on high-resolution survey data collected using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
By implementing this monitoring system, UDOT has the data to evaluate the structure’s performance and stability. UDOT can make better maintenance decisions and manage these structures using sensors and UAV surveys.
Next Steps: In March 2025, UDOT Structures awarded Phase 2 of this project, which funds continued UAV survey change detection analyses and installation of additional instrumentation on the tunnels.
Real-time data (online dashboard)
Phase 1 Report (pdf, login required)
How UDOT ensures you can safely drive under these natural arches near Bryce Canyon after 100 years (News Story)
Hi-res UAV Image 1
Hi-res UAV Image 2
Dashboard, real-time monitoring results
Location of stress gauges and crack meters
Heatmap showing change over two years