GNSS-based Structural Monitoring of the Isola Dovarese Bridge, Italy

The 50-year-old bridge over the Oglio river in Isola Dovarese, Italy, has been selected as a case study within a joint project promoted by Regione Lombardia and Politecnico di Milano for the definition of criteria and guidelines for maintenance and management of the roadway infrastructure. The bridge is a seven-span structure characterized by precast prestressed concrete deck I-beams and cast-in-situ concrete piers. The structure represents an important link for both local communities and regional transportation system. Two of the central spans of the bridge have been instrumented with a GNSS-based structural health monitoring system aimed at assessing the long-term structural behavior of the bridge. The system is complemented by a weather station to monitor the environmental conditions. As the bridge is exposed to hydraulic actions, a camera and a hydrometer have been integrated into the monitoring system for detecting floating debris in front of the piers and monitoring of water elevation, respectively. This paper describes the designed and implemented GNSS-based structural monitoring system and presents the results of the ongoing activities as a support to maintenance and management of the roadway infrastructure at regional scale.