Digital structural inspection as an innovative component of infrastructure maintenance

Abstract

Regular structural inspection forms the basis for maintenance decisions in infrastructure asset management. Conventional inspection processes are, however, characterised by structural discontinuity: findings are recorded during each inspection largely independently and without systematic reference to earlier inspection cycles, making robust statements about defect progression and forecasting more difficult. Using an existing bridge built in 1946, this paper demonstrates how a digital inspection process—based on photogrammetrically generated 3D models and a continuously updated single source of truth—structurally resolves this deficiency. The inspection results from 2008, 2017 and 2026 show that spatially referenced defect data enable direct, objectively traceable monitoring of defect progression. As the structure ages, the data capture effort is systematically reduced compared with analogue inspection, because previously documented defects only need to be validated for currency. The findings result in data‐driven, transparently justifiable maintenance decisions—and in cumulative knowledge growth across the entire life cycle of the structure.