Library

The following enhancements resulted from Long-Term Bridge Performance Program research and were incorporated into the InfoBridge ^TM web portal:

• "Find Bridges" update - Limit for “Structure Number (8)” that can be provided in the filter under "Find Bridges" has been increased from 29 to 125.


• Charts Feature (Analytics) - Single variable charts provide options for displaying graphs by "number of bridges or by deck area of bridges" and the labels as "values or percentage".


• NBE Data Export - NBE data can now be exported from Selected Bridges table under Table Options.


• Advanced Find update - Advanced find has been updated with the latest MPO (06/29/23) and Political Districts, along with Cities (01/06/23) data, provided by FHWA HEPGIS and the US Census Bureau.


• Condition Forecast and Performance Forecast - The three deterioration models - Base Models, Machine Learning Models, and the Survival Models - have been updated per the 2023 NBI data.


• Asset Valuation - Unit Cost Table update under the Asset Valuation tool has been updated per the 2022 data.


• NBI/NBE Graphs Download - Option to download graphs as CSV files has been expanded to cover most graphs.


• Historical Spec Changes - Historical Spec Changes under Library now covers Maximum and Minimum Flexural Reinforcement.


• Miscellaneous - Clickable links for Advanced Find, Chart Find, and Map Find have been added under the Find Bridges/NBI/NBE filters.

The following data updates have been implemented:

• NBI Annual Data Augmentation - The NBI and NBE data are now available for the 2023 submittal.


• Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), Political Districts and Cities Data - MPO, Political Districts, and Cities updated according to August 2023 Census data.


• Climate Data Update - The 2022 climatic data have been added. InfoBridge™ climate data are obtained from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data.

The following enhancements resulted from Long-Term Bridge Performance Program research and were incorporated into the InfoBridge ^TM web portal:

• Bridge Condition Transition History - Users can generate a list of bridges that have transitioned from one condition to another over a user-specified period. This tool is available under the Performance History tab within the DATA menu. Users can also access this tool from the new TOOLS menu.


• TOOLS Menu - The new TOOLS menu offers an alternate way of accessing the following tools: Asset Valuation, Bridge Condition Transition, Bridge Network Performance, and Historical Spec Changes.


• Historical National Bridge Element (NBE) Health Index (HI) Graphs - Users can view historical trends of the NBE HI for a selected bridge. This feature is available through DATA/Selected Bridges/Bridge Information/NBE.


• Location filter through Map Find - Users can apply a filter for State, county, or place on selected bridges directly through the Map Find search feature.


• Data exported by year range - Data for selected bridges can be exported for a specified year range through the Export Data tab under Table Options.


• How-to videos - Videos for new and upcoming features and tools are now displayed in the “How to…” section under the Help menu.


• Experimental Bridges - Users can view, download, and analyze an expanded collection of available data for experimental bridges. Options for experimental bridges include:
  1. Nondestructive Evaluation Data.
  2. Structural Monitoring Data.
  3. Visual Inspection Reports.
  4. Material Testing Data.
  5. Bridge Metadata.
• Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), Political Districts and Cities Data - The option to select and view this data is now available through the Select Fields feature under Table Options. This data can also be exported using the Export Data feature.


• Advanced Find update - A new filter based on the latest U.S. Census Bureau data for place codes and place names has been added to InfoBridge under the name “City (InfoBridge Place Code-Name).” Users can filter National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data by this field through the Advanced Find search under the MPO, Political Districts, and Cities category.


• Condition Forecast and Performance Forecast - These forecast models have been updated to account for 2022 NBI data.


• Miscellaneous bug fixes - This release fixes several bugs related to the user interface and maps.

The following data updates have been implemented:

• NBI Annual Data Augmentation - The NBI and NBE data are now available for the 2022 submittal.

The following data updates, enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented:

• NBI Annual Data Augmentation - The NBI and NBE data are now available for the 2021 submittal.


• Climate Data Update - The 2021 climatic data have been added. InfoBridge™ climate data are obtained from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data.


• 2020 NBI Data - Users can access pre-selected fields from the NBI data for the 2020 submittal by selecting the option for "2020 NBI Data" under Select Data filter. These data are being made available since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law refers to the bridge conditions as documented in the 2020 NBI data submittal.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several bugs related to the user interface and maps have been fixed in this release.

The following tools and projects resulted from research performed by the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program and were incorporated into InfoBridge ^TM.

• Asset Valuation - Users can enter their own unit cost value or choose from a list of statewide unit cost values to calculate replacement, existing, and remaining values of selected bridges. The tool also generates a State-by-State summary of replacement, existing, and remaining values of bridges in each State. This tool is available under the ANALYTICS menu.


• Bridge Condition Transition Forecast - Users can generate a list of bridges that would transition from one condition to another over a specified period while exceeding a user-selected minimum probability of occurrence. This tool is available under the Performance Forecast tab within the DATA menu.


• Historical Changes to Concrete Shear Design - A new module was added to this tool. Historical review of the concrete shear design development is available through the first edition of the load-and-resistance factor design specifications under the LIBRARY menu.


• Experimental Bridges - Data collected on experimental bridges (off public road bridges) can now be viewed, downloaded, and analyzed. These data are made available under the LTBP data category only when “All Data” is selected.

The following new features and enhancements have been implemented:

• Ten New Climatic Attributes - LTBP InfoBridge has been updated with 10 new climatic attributes from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) Version 2. Attributes for temperature, precipitation, wind, and humidity are included. The new attributes are available in the Selected Bridges table, Export Data feature, and the Climate Data tab.


• Chart Find - The Chart Find visualization and filtering feature provides information on available data types for the selected bridges in a graphical bar chart format. Several available data groups can be selected to create a shortlist of bridges for further processing.


• Historical NBI Graphs - The Historical National Bridge Inventory (NBI) items trend graphs now include Channel Protection, Operating Rating, Inventory Rating, and Structural Evaluation.


• New Column Added to All Years Export Data - An additional column was added to the Export Data feature under the “All Years” option. This column is populated with the latest NBI structure number for all years. The column for NBI item no. 8 (Structure number) may include previous structure numbers for certain years, but this does not mean that the information provided applies to different unique structures. The new column unifies all information for all years under the latest structure number.


• NBE Charts - The charts feature for national bridge elements (NBE) was updated for better usability. Additional options include All Element Condition States and All Element Types. Percentages, along with the number of bridges, have been added to the information displayed.


• Condition Forecast and Performance Forecast - These forecasts have been updated to include 2020 NBI data.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several bugs related to web interface, data, and maps have been fixed in this release.

The following data updates, enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented:

• NBI Annual Data Augmentation - The NBI and NBE data are now available for the 2020 submittal.


• Climate Data Update - The 2020 climatic data has been added. InfoBridge™ climate data is obtained from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data, which is currently available from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2020.


• Historical Spec Changes - The Historical Spec Changes feature under the Library menu has been updated to include a new module: Steel Bridges. This module provides a historical review of how steel composition, steel properties, and steel bridge design evolved from 1900 to 2015. The information presented here is adopted from the Federal Highway Administration report FHWA-HRT-21-020. This report was developed by staff from the Office of Infrastructure Research and Development.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several web interface and map bugs have been fixed in this release.

The following data updates, enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented:

• Full Width Graphical User Interface (GUI) - The InfoBridge™ web portal has been updated to full width design. Users can navigate through the portal using wider screens for a better visualization. Various tabs have been restructured and features have been realigned, for example, Historical NBI Condition and Traffic trend graphs have been moved within the NBI Data Tab.


• Data Selection/Presentation Option for Historical Data - An additional data filter has been provided as “Select Data” feature to toggle selection of bridges between displaying only the latest NBI data or to include all historical data submitted since 1993. The options under Select Data can be used to determine which records are filtered using Find Bridges, Advanced Find, and/or Map Find. Users can now view the historical data submitted since 1993 in the Selected Bridges Table and the NBI Data Tab using this option.


• Performance Forecast - A new tab titled “Performance Forecast” is implemented to show preliminary results of ongoing FHWA research on condition forecast for a group of bridges selected by the user. This includes graphs displaying the historical and forecasted condition of bridges by count and percentage of the selected group of bridges in Good/Fair/Poor rating along with the percentage of deck area in each condition state (Good/Fair/Poor). Users can select from the available Network Performance Forecast models and preservation levels using the available model selection tree. Please note that the “Performance Dashboard” feature is still maintained and has been renamed “Performance History”.


• Charts for National Bridge Elements (NBE) - Data attributes have been included for National Bridge Elements (NBE) data for the Single Variable Chart feature under the Analytics/Charts menu. The available attributes include Element Type and the Percentage of Element in each of the four Condition States (CS-1, CS-2, CS-3, and CS-4).


• Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil – Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) Project Data - A new data tab for Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil – Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) Project has been added. The data available under GRS-IBS Data tab include data for Structure Type and Elements, Dimensions and Clearances, Load Rating and Posting, Stream Information and Primary Drivers for the GRS-IBS project bridges.


• Filter Options for Special Projects - Additional filter options have been provided for Special Projects under the Find Bridges and Advanced Find features. Users can select the group of bridges included in the Special Project using the Find Bridges filters, and can further narrow down their search based on Special Project data attributes using the Advanced Find filters.


• Updates for Map Find Tool - Map Find feature has been updated to provide a search operator for finding location using Latitude and Longitude. Additionally, the line tool has been updated to allow for drawing multiple line segments for selecting the bridges along meandering lines, such as highway corridors, state boundaries, coastlines, etc.


• Interactive Crack Map for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) - The Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) crack map has been updated to allow for interactive control to view bridge deck images using the bridge deck coordinates.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several web interface and map bugs have been fixed in this release.

The following data updates, minor enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented:

• Unpainted Weathering Steel (UWS) Project Data - A new data tab for Unpainted Weathering Steel (UWS) Project has been added. The data available under UWS Data tab includes geographic, climatic, and environmental data for the bridges analyzed for the UWS Project.


• Charts Feature (Analytics) - The Charts feature under Analytics menu has been updated to display two new NBI attributes: Inventory Route, Minimum Vertical Clearance (NBI Item #10), and Year of Average Daily Traffic (NBI Item #30). Additionally, the bin sizes for various attributes have been updated to display non-uniform bin sizes.


• Structure Number Format - The format for displaying and exporting Structure Number has been updated to reflect all leading and trailing spaces and leading and trailing zeros according to the NBI Data Submittals. This update is available for the Selected Bridges table and Export Data under Options menu.


• Code Expansion for all Hybrid Coded NBI Fields - All hybrid coded NBI fields (fields that may either contain numeric or coded values) have been updated to display codes as “XXXX”. This update is available for NBI Data Tab under Data menu and Charts feature under Analytics menu.


• Condition Forecast Data for Bridge Deck Models - The data for the Condition Forecast graph has been updated to reflect the most recent NBI submittal.


• Legend for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) graphs - The graphs for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) under Graphs tab under Data menu have been updated to separate the legend color options from the slider for value range selection.


• LTBP Documentation (Library) - A new tab under Library menu has been added for LTBP™ Documentation. This tab includes LTBP Protocols and LTBP Newsletters.


• “Contact Us” Details (Help) - A new tab for Contact Us has been added under Help menu with contact information for LTBP™ Customer Support Service Center.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several web interface and map bugs have been fixed in this release.

The following data updates, minor enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented:

• NBI Annual Data Augmentation - The NBI and NBE data are now available for the 2019 submittal.


• Climate Data Update - The 2019 climatic data was added. InfoBridge™ climate data is obtained from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data, which is currently available from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2019.


• Climate Data Download - Two climate data attributes (Number of Freeze/Thaw Cycles and Number of Snowfall Days) have been made available to be selected and displayed as columns of the Selected Bridges Table. Therefore, these two attributes became available to be exported under Options.


• Viewing UHPC and Timber Bridge Special Projects Data - The Data tabs for Special Projects including Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Timber Bridges have been updated.


• Expanded Codes - The Export Data feature has been updated, so that all items of the downloaded data match the same formats/values as what is displayed in user interface.


• Miscellaneous Bug Fixes - Several web interface and map bugs have been fixed in this release.