Drones, digital twins, and express monitoring are becoming part of a unified bridge management system. Digitalization helps improve safety and reduce infrastructure maintenance costs.

Kazakhstan continues to introduce digital technologies into transport infrastructure management. As part of this work, the Kazakh Road Research Institute (KazdorNII) is implementing a unified Bridge Operation Management System, a digital platform containing information on the diagnosis, monitoring, and forecasting of the technical condition of bridge structures.

Since 2023, more than 100 bridges have been surveyed as part of the project, including complex non-standard structures in Pavlodar, Uralsk, and on the Astana bypass. To date, three-dimensional digital twins have been created – accurate copies that allow remote monitoring of the technical condition of structures and rapid response to potential risks.

In 2025, it is planned to survey another 60 bridges, followed by the creation of digital twins for each of them.

The system allows us to move from reactive maintenance to proactive management. We are creating a unified digital base across the country, integrating survey data and introducing automated control methods. This is a qualitative change in the approach to bridge safety and maintenance.

The project also includes:

• the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles for visual inspection of bridges, including hard-to-reach and large structures;
• the creation of 3D models of bridges, forming digital twins for further monitoring and analysis of technical condition;
• development of regulatory and technical documents, including methods for assessing operational condition and principles for building monitoring systems.

*From 2025, mobile express bridge monitoring will also be introduced, allowing for rapid diagnostics without stopping traffic and with minimal time expenditure.

The work is being carried out in coordination with the Committee of Highways of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the future, the system will cover all bridges on roads of republican status, ensuring transparent, accurate, and productive infrastructure management.

It should be noted that there are more than 3,500 bridges in operation in Kazakhstan, a significant number of which are located in regions and on local roads. Many of them have already reached the end of their service life and require regular inspection and monitoring of their technical condition.