The risk of bridge failures has led U.S. engineers to seek better methods of surveillance and inspections. Tarek Zayed, a professor in the department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering at Concordia University, has developed a visualization method that could improve the quality and reliability of bridge inspections.

Zayed is using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to send electromagnetic waves below the surface of materials like concrete to measure how the waves are reflected.

He says that visual inspections of bridges are still relied on, and experts look for cracks and gauge their length and depth. "But what about what's inside?" he asks.

Zayed says that the measurements taken by the GPR should be tracked and monitored several times over the lifespan of a bridge. The researchers say that looking at the maps generated by GPR offers a clear idea of which part of a bridge is corroded and needs maintenance.

“We were able to make a major breakthrough in determining probable thresholds between good, moderate and critical corrosiveness of concrete," He says. “I think many other jurisdictions across North America will want to follow our lead in using this technique."

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