Digital Twin for the Moerdijk Bridge

Most of the infrastructure was built decades ago, leading to the weakening of aging structures. Consider the Moerdijk Bridge, which saw its first opening in 1871 for trains. The second bridge, for automobiles, was constructed in the 1930s. In the 1950s, both bridges were replaced with wider versions, followed by a similar upgrade for the traffic bridge in the 1970s. In 2005, a third bridge was added for the high-speed rail (HSL-Zuid). Due to the bridge's age, monitoring and timely replacement or maintenance are crucial priorities for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Data-driven Asset Management is used to monitor this infrastructure.

The Moerdijk Bridges, which are located at the Hollandsch Diep in South Holland, are in an advanced state of aging and are closely monitored by Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), with a growing emphasis on data-driven Asset Management. Sensors have been installed to continuously measure the bridge's load, with the data ultimately visualized in a Digital Twin. Models predict when and where damages may appear in the bridge, empowering administrators to take preventive measures.

Data is increasingly regarded as the fuel for operations, and this is the same for data-driven Asset Management. This approach offers several advantages, emphasizing "just in time" maintenance for improved safety and reduced costs. Additionally, data-driven Asset Management systems enable administrators to predict issues such as malfunctions or defects before they occur, allowing for preventive measures. Mapping out these possibilities requires a Digital Twin.

In this project, Geodan is responsible for the technical execution and implementation of data in a 3D environment. An application has been developed to simultaneously display data such as 3D objects, map layers, and point clouds in a 3D environment. The insights generated from this provide a highly detailed basis for data visualization, as demonstrated in the Moerdijk Bridges.