Enhancing service life through digital monitoring

27.09.2018

COWI has been awarded a contract for the Structural Health Monitoring System upgrade on the Pont de Normandie in northern France. A co-created digital monitoring system will empower CCI Seine Estuaire to make informed decisions for the iconic, world-renowned structure.

In order to improve safety and traffic flow and minimise closures, the current Structural Health Monitoring System on the Pont de Normandie needs to be upgraded. The bridge concessionaire Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Seine Estuaire (CCI Seine Estuaire) has requested the services of James Fisher Testing Services (JFTS), with COWI as consultant, to perform this task.

Enhancing service life through smarter monitoring

The work will include reviewing the current instrumentation on the bridge, designing additional monitoring systems, defining automatic data reporting templates to periodically report measured data, and defining thresholds to detect abnormal readings.

In total, approximately 200 different sensors will be deployed after the system upgrade. Also, the industry-leading JFTS software platform will be customised in order to integrate and interpret all data from the different monitoring systems to characterise normal structural behaviour. This includes information from GPS stations, weather stations, and existing acoustic monitoring sensors on cable stays and on-structure instrumentation.

Furthermore, it will consolidate all data from CCI Seine Estuaire's other owned assets, including Pont de Tancarville and Viaduc du Grand Canal, into a convenient single-user interface.

Market Director for Bridges International at COWI Jacob Egede Andersen commented:

"The Pont de Normandie is an iconic, world-renowned structure, and COWI is pleased to be working closely with JFTS on this extensive monitoring system upgrade. Our joint expertise in providing easy-to-operate and cost-efficient Structural Health Monitoring Systems will help us co-create a reliable solution that will ultimately empower CCI Seine Estuaire to make informed decisions for their structure and customers."

An economic link

The Pont de Normandie has provided a critical link spanning the river Seine between Le Havre and Honfleur in Normandy for over 20 years. With greater road access to France's largest container port and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Le Havre, the bridge has increased accessibility to the region, reduced road journeys by 40km/30 minutes, and played a key role in local economic development.

It has become an essential artery for the region's trade and tourism, and it is crucial that the bridge operates safely and cost-effectively with minimal traffic interruptions.

When the bridge opened in 1995, the Pont de Normandie was the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge at over 2,100m in total length. During the design phase, COWI was involved in the design of the metallic sections of the 856m main span.