Press Release

September 21, 2024

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Deployment of Futuristic Technologies on a Historic Bridge

On September 20, 2024, under one of our ongoing contracts with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation, HPTech was awarded a task order for the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of the historic John Coffee Memorial Bridge (Tennessee River Bridge) using drone and robot. The John Coffee Memorial Bridge, built in 1964, is nearly a mile long bridge that carries Natchez Trace Parkway over the Tennessee River. The 2-lane, 38-span, two steel plate girder bridge with concrete deck provides a direct route for the traveling public from Tennessee to Mississippi. The bridge has exceeded its design life of 50 years. Currently, National Park Service (NPS) of the U.S. Department of Interior, the bridge owner, is considering various restoration options for the bridge along with preparing an environmental assessment (EA) for these options. The NDE of the bridge will be useful for any of the restoration options as long as the bridge is in service, including the no replacement option that is to keep inspecting and monitoring the bridge and repairing it as needed.

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The NDE technologies to be deployed, including infrared thermography, ground penetrating radar, ultrasonic, electrical resistivity, and high-resolution imaging, are proven technologies but their deployment from drones and robots is certainly the future of bridge inspection and monitoring. NDE technologies deployed from such platforms can cut down many person hours, and the need for traffic control and access equipment in bridge inspection and monitoring. More importantly, they can alleviate inconvenience to traveling public and greatly enhance their safety. These technologies are being advanced by the FHWA NDE Laboratory, which serves as a national resource for other programs and offices of FHWA, other federal agencies, State departments of transportation (DOTs), industry, and academia.

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About High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTech)

High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTech) is an infrastructure-centered firm focusing on practice, research, policy, and technology transfer.  HPTech was established in 2003 with the primary purpose of serving the U.S. federal government at their facilities and project sites.  Our uniqueness lies in our ability to integrate physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, planning, and policy when developing and delivering infrastructure solutions.